Kingdom Hearts: Afterlife of Astonishment
by Mr History 94
Summary: After Kingdom Hearts 3, Sora vanishes into thin air. Little does he know that he is in the forgotten reaches of the universe. Darkness reigns supreme and battered people live together. Join as Riku, Kairi and their friends travels to these Forgotten Lands, hoping to bring Sora back, as well as saving the desperate people there. A crossover of works by Square Enix and Don Bluth.
1. Prologue

**Square Enix and Don Bluth Productions presents…..**

_One day, me and my friends dreamed of leaving Destiny Islands and go out to see the world. And boy, we sure did, except on a different method. We learned about light and darkness exists in the world, as well as how hearts can empower one's determination and existence. In this journey, I learned so much that there was nothing that I could ever imagine. But as I learned those, I myself became embroiled in a powerful struggle between what was light and darkness. In my greatest battle yet, I learned about that fact when I sacrificed myself to make sure the girl I loved would survive and exist. But now, I find myself in a dark place where I don't know where to go. I feel lonely, yet somehow…...I know I will survive. But I don't know exactly how – Sora_

**PROLOGUE**

Inside a lone capsule filled with pristine and bubbling water, a teenage boy was floating inside if as if he was asleep. This boy was no ordinary stranger. To us, he was the famed wielder of the Keyblade: Sora. After the final battle, Sora had himself vanished into thin air, leaving behind a concerned group of friends. Where he was now, nobody ever knew. But judging by its interior, it was safe to say that he was inside some kind of spaceship. Or was that really the case?

As Sora lied in the illuminating capsule all by himself, a glowing figure made out of pure energy emerged into this dark room. While her form looked hideous, she had a face, and it was that of a youthful looking woman. Her eyes were azure and they highlighted her powerful energies. Behind her back, electric tendrils helped bring her to whatever location she desired most.

When she got a good look at the captured Key Bearer, the alien woman smirked.

"At last. I finally have the Key Bearer himself in my grasp" the figurine spoke, her voice as hallow as her appearance. "Oh, how long I have been waiting for this. With him here, my goal is one step closer in becoming a reality" she added, even putting her alien handpalm on the capsule itself.

As she chuckled evilly of her acquisition, several footsteps could be heard walking from behind.

"Do not forget our agreement, Susquehana!" a scrawny, hooded man with long, black beard spoke in a thick Russian accent. "I brought that pathetic whimp to you as promised. Now, you keep your end of our bargain!" he added while holding something glowing in his hand.

There was something on his shoulder, as it was a small albino bat with pink eyes. He looked pretty terrified of the alien standing before them.

"Sir, you forgot something. Aren't you supposed to be…" the albino bat stammered something to his master's ear.

"Not now, Bartok! If me and Susquehana are to be considered cohorts, then she must listen to what I have to….." the old man snapped, yet something happened that made him shut up.

The alien calling itself Susquehana didn't move a muscle, yet her electric tendrils sure did. They were this close in stabbing the hooded man, who was somehow cowering away like some coward. The same could be said for Bartok, as was already hiding behind the man was a whole.

"I ALWAYS honor agreements, Grigori Rasputin. You would do well to remember that fact. And do not forget, it is Queen Susquehana to you. Address me with formality the next time you utter my name" the creature spoke, completely unfazed with what the man named Rasputin wanted from her.

As the tendrils moved away from him, Rasputin repeatedly nodded his head as a yes, still feeling uneasy. "Y-yes! Of course, Your Majesty! Please e-excuse my dullness!" he apologized, trying his best to get back on good graces with the alien queen.

Bartok emerged out of hiding and whispered into Rasputin's ear. "See? I told ya that you should've addressed her property! She hates it when you…..." he was squeezed tightly by his master to make him shut up.

"Shut your piehole!" Rasputin whispered back though hissing words.

"Now then" the Russian man directed his attention towards Susquehana. She was still fixated upon Sora floating in the capsule. "I may have gotten the Key Bearer. He is the key to what I really desire most: Kingdom Hearts. But restoring them to full capacity requires five powerful essences. The essence of the Five Keyblade Princesses" she revealed.

Rasputin got frustrated. "What are you talking about!? That was not part of our agreement! I was only supposed to bring that little brat to you, which I did!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. But Susquehana suddenly looked over her shoulder, thus fixing her deadly eyes upon him. He snapped in fear, and Bartok hid behind him once again. "Ahh! What I meant to say was that I would love to bring those…." Rasputin was stumbling between words.

"Be quiet, human charlatan!" the irritated voice of this alien queen was more than enough for someone as cunning as Rasputin to stop speaking. "Now as you said, it is true that you were only supposed to bring me the Key Bearer. However, capturing the Five Keyblade Princesses will be done by someone else. And I know that you and those other subjects are not up for the job. Still, you would do well in leading my Heartless" Susquehana pointed out.

Two more figures emerged out of the dark and beside Rasputin and Bartok. The first was what appeared to be a wicked wizard, resembling Rasputin in some way. But he was different, as he carried a scepter to showcase his position as a magician.

"Queen Susquehana. I, Mordroc, will be honored to lead your forces" the wizard said with formality. "However, in return, you will help me in capturing the woman I desire: Princess Daphne" he added in a sneaky manner.

The second one was a muscular and bulky blue-skinned alien. Yet compared to Susquehana, he looked far less menacing. His appearance was that of a common thug. Still, he seemed to be somewhat of a commander.

"I owe my allegiance to you. As such, I will not disappoint you, my queen. That is why I am Commander Borf!" he boastfully declared, yet it was not sure whether his superior understood him.

Susquehana turn around. She directed her menacing look upon her minions. They all feared of what she would potentially do to them. Somehow, a bright light struck down upon her. Several other energy-like aliens appeared by her side. They looked like her in terms of appearance, yet they lacked her humanoid features.

"I except all of you to obey my words to the letter. I am the Drej Queen, as well as the true ruler of the Forgotten Realms. When I destroyed each of your worlds, you three came forward and begged me to spare your miserable lives. It is because of your usefulness that you are all standing before me alive as of now" she carefully reminded them about where their loyalties lied.

Rasputin, Mordroc or Borf dared say a word. They were each terrified of this so-called Drej Queen. Somehow, she had been the one responsible for destroying their worlds, as well as making them her subordinates.

"Of course, Queen Susquehana. We remain loyal to you! Always!" Mordroc assured her.

"And we'll make no mistake! Your plans will come to fruition. That we promise!" Borf joined in.

The alien queen smirked in what she heard them say. "Splendid. Now then, any news from Nocturne Reserve?" she asked them about a specific place.

"Yes! We have good news. So far, that pitiful place's inhabitants have isolated themselves inside the city. Our allies also tell us about that old fool Nicodemus. He is getting frailer with each passing day" Rasputin revealed.

A laugh came out of Susquehana's mouth. "Good. That means they are hopeless. That town will in time be consumed by my wrath" she mused at her plans for this Nocturne Reserve. She faced her subordinates one more time. "Send the Heartless to surround that town! And make sure they report of any unusual activity within the place!" the alien queen commanded them.

With all of them saluting in return, the three minions disappeared from her side, leaving Susquehana alone with her fellow Drej. Still, she returned back to looking at Sora. Apparently, she had plans for him.

"Yes. Sleep well, young Sora. Because sooner or later, your destiny will be fulfilled. And my goal of reaching Kingdom Hearts will become a reality. Until then, rest easy, Key Bearer. Because in time, the darkness will return to you" she continued treating Sora as if she was some kind of a servant to him.

With that said, Susquehana and her subjects left the room altogether. Everything became dark once again, with the notable exception being the lone capsule in the room.

As Sora was still floating in the capsule's bright water, it didn't take long before there was movement within him. First and foremost, it came from his eyes. It was as if he was struggling to awaken. After a few minutes with wrinkling and moving his eyes, they finally opened.

Sora's eyes opened wide, almost as if he had been pierced by something. His lips started moving as well. In time, more changes began to occur. Still, there were few words that he had enough strength to utter out, even as he was engulfed with water all around him.

"Kairi…." the name of his close friends could be read on his lips.

In time, something started to change when it came to Sora's skin. It blackened. And worse, his he gained claws and sharp teeth, almost like a beast. At the same time, his eyes glowed brightly. Sora was now beginning to look like a Heartless. He screamed in agony as he was stuck inside that capsule.

But when he screamed and started moving his body, cracks began appearing on the capsule's glass. It all shattered and out came Sora, now transformed into this dark and hideous state. He growled as if he was a beast.

Sora's outbreak had triggered what appeared to be an alarm and the door to the hall opened. In came a trio of Drej, the energetic aliens carrying weapons. They had their sights set on the transformed Keyblade warrior in front of them.

"The prisoner has escaped! I repeat: the prisoner has escaped!" one of the Drej tried communicating with his superiors.

Sora growled towards seeing the Drej, and he was prepared to attack them at any minute. But his enemies were already one step ahead of him.

"Dispose of that filth!" the same Drej commanded his cohort.

As one of the Drej fired his weapons, Sora stunned his captors when he dodged the bullet, which could have annihilated his body. The aliens were taken aback by his speed. Using his long claws, he managed to sever the limbs of that Drej. But Sora soon vanished, and disappeared into the opened door.

The other Drej were caught by surprise, yet their comrade used some type of regeneration to grow out his limbs. Still, they needed to pursue their target.

"Call upon reinforcements! Alert the Queen! The prisoner is escaping!" a Drej spoke via a communicator.

Sora came into a next room, and from what he could see, Rasputin and Bartok were there. The albino bat seemed awfully fearful of Sora's destructive form.

"Hey, boss! That guy looks very agitated! Why don't we just back off this time!?" Bartok asked his master.

Rasputin was undeterred. "Nonsense! I will not let some deranged boy best me!" he said before using the lime-green reliquary in his hand to call forth on something. "Creatures of the endless dark! I summon you!" the corrupted preacher exclaimed.

The transformed Sora was now facing what appeared to be several Heartless. While they closely resembled Neo Shadows, these Heartless were much more monstrous and wilder. Not only did they have golden eyes and sharp claws, they also had monstrous teeth and were roaring like wild beasts.

"Now, my minions! Kill that foul brat! Dispose of his corpse!" Rasputin commanded them.

The Heartless did as they were told and charged towards Sora. But not surprisingly, Sora avoided their attacks. He proceeded to claw them in pieces, thus finishing them off without even breaking a sweat.

Rasputin was shocked and outraged by this defeat. "No! It's not possible!" he roared while holding up his reliquary once again.

"Sir! He's comin' towards us! We better scram!" Bartok felt fearful as he flied upwards to avoid getting attacked.

This left Rasputin alone, yet the preacher was determined to stand against Sora. "Filthy creature! I shall bestow the most painful curse upon….." Rasputin stopped when he noticed that Sora had run past him. He then proceeded towards the opened doorway and into the corridor "What!? But how did he….CURSE YOU!" Rasputin was furious.

Just as he had lost Sora, several Drej entered the room to inspect the scene. Yet Rasputin was angered, and he directed his rage towards them.

"WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS STANDING HERE FOR!? THE PRISONER WENT THAT WAY! AFTER HIM!" the preacher commanded them, not caring about the fact they only obeyed their queen.

Throughout these futuristic corridors, Susquehana's subjects started an intensive search throughout their base, hoping to capture Sora. They were determined to capture him. Yet they were already too late.

Unbeknownst to them, Sora had used his newfound strength to cut a hole in one of the walls and ran through a narrow hallway. Eventually, he fell down towards the dark depths, due to accidentally stepping in an opened hole on the ground. Sora did nothing, as he kept falling down towards the deep without any emotions. He landed on what appeared to be a bridge that ran over the black depths below.

Sora, still in this cursed state, looked to both ways to make sure that there as no one on the bridge. Except for the few lights along the bridge, everything was dark around him.

Things only got worse when he could hear the voices of Drej appearing from each side of the bridge. They were now blocking him completely. And not only that, he could spot creatures that resembled gargoyles flying above him. Obviously, these were Heartless-fliers, possessing all the characteristics of a gargoyle.

"YOU'RE NOT LEAVING THIS PLACE ALIVE!" that voice belonged to Borf, the blue-skinned alien now riding on what appeared to be gravity platform. He was armed with a laser pistol in his right hand. "There is no escape for you! Nobody has ever managed to escape from the Alahenena! The only option you have is surrendering to me!" Borf felt himself acting all high and mighty.

Sora, knowing that he was cornered like a rat, did the unthinkable. Before his enemies even knew it, Sora jumped off the bridge and fell downwards towards the dark. He even used his incredible speed to dive faster.

Borf was caught off-guard by Sora's suicidal tactic. "What the…." he was unsure about what to do. "That kid's insane! He'll only fall down to his death!" he exclaimed before laughing out loud.

As he kept falling down, he found himself outside of what appeared to be a giant castle between two snowy and thundering peaks. It must've been the palace Queen Susquehana and her subjects lived in called the Alahenena. Wherever it was, it was quite high in whatever strange world he had arrived in.

And Sora was now gradually starting to lose this transformation of his. The faster he fell down the distance, the more he returned back to his normal self. Still, he was in no position to do anything about this fall. His eyes were closed, and it became apparent that he had drifted back into unconsciousness. It was at this rate when his mind began drifting back into the past. He recalled both fond and terrible memories of the adventures he had been on. Yet they would not help him with snapping back into reality.

In time, Sora found himself falling into what appeared to be a river in the high mountains. He splashed into it, yet that was not enough to awaken him. Unable to even move, Sora was taken by the stream, until there was a large waterfall at the end. Still, nothing made him wake up. He was heading straight towards it. Falling from the waterfall, the young boy was completely emotionless, even as he dived towards a large lake at the bottom. Not even the fall was enough to wake him up. But it was even more stunning in how Sora had not yet drowned.

Lying in the water, Sora found himself floating towards the nearest shore in the lake. He lied there completely emotionless. Still, there was no evidence of him being dead. He was just in a different mindset.

The environment he currently found himself in looked quite haunted and gloomy. There was not a single soul to be seen around these thorny woods. But that changed when the sound of two horses and a cart could be heard in the distance. The ones driving it was an overweight fox who looked like an entrepreneur or some sorts. Accompanying him was what appeared to be an attractive-looking pheasant. The fox grinned to himself as he approached the unconscious Sora.

"Well, lookie here! It seems like this poor fella washed up somehow" the fox spoke up before getting a closer look at the teenage boy. "I wonder where he came from. Looks to me that ain't from around here" he said as he studied his appearance.

The blonde-haired pheasant looked at him a little concerned. "I don't know, Pinky. But either way, he looks to be unconscious. We should help him" she said while addressing the fox by his name.

Pinky formed a cunning grin as he looked at her. "Oh, we'll be helping him, alright" he said before starting to look around in the environment. He was making sure that they weren't spotted, but for what reason?

"Umm…what do you mean by that?" she asked him, only to snap when seeing Pinky starting carrying Sora to the cart. "Pinky! You can't just take him with you! You don't even know where he is from!" the pheasant was in slight disbelief.

"Relax, Goldie! There ain't nobody here lookin' for him. That means he'll do well as my slave" the fox responded.

However, Goldie couldn't hide her uneasiness. "But you know where we are, don't you Pinky?" she asked him. "T-this is the Thorny Maze! W-what if Queen Susquehana is looking for him?" she shivered while mentioning the Drej Queen's name.

But Pinkey shrugged off her concerns. "Bah! Who cares about that nasty, old hag! She ain't gonna come looking for him here!" the fox said, putting Sora on the cart. "Besides, you know how the slave trade has helped Nocturnal Reserve lately. That stupid government there won't outlaw it. That means we can do with this kid as we please!" he exclaimed before getting onboard the cart.

Goldie took her time to look at Sora's unconscious state. A part of her felt sorry for him, given that he was about to be sold as a slave. She wanted to help him, yet Goldie herself felt powerless to stand against Pinky.

"Now, will you get your feathery behind on the cart? Time is money! And we got nothing to waste!" Pinky's voice made Goldie climb up beside him. With that settled, Pinky gave the horses the command to keep moving. "Alrighty then! We're all set for Nocturnal Reserve! Let's just hope that we get there before the night. I can't stand anymore Heartless coming after my precious fur" he said.

Goldie looked behind to see Sora one last time, yet she was careful not to get too attached to him. Still, she herself was pretty much in a situation as Sora was about to be in.

* * *

_On the Destiny Islands_

It had been a while since Sora had suddenly vanished without a trace. For his friends, it was a tragedy. But it was even more so for Kairi, the teenage girl still mourning the loss of the boy she secretly loved. But with the help of Riku, she had managed to build some courage. As a matter of fact, she truly decided to go and find Sora, wherever he might be. Sitting on a Paopu tree, Kairi explained everything to her close friend about her desire.

"I see" Riku remarked as he stood beside Kairi gazing out the distance. "You still think he's out there somewhere" he added.

"I know he is, Riku" Kairi responded. She looked down for a minute to reflect on what her loss. The loss of Sora had been hard for her to bear. "You heard what the King said. There exists plenty of worlds out there that has never been visited before. What if Sora was sent to one of them?" she asked her friend.

Riku took his time to reflect on that question. "That may be true. But even as we have travelled so far, we still don't know the full universe yet. It's huge" he commended.

"That still doesn't matter. Sora will never be forgotten. He'll always be remembered by us" Kairi replied back, much to the amusement of Riku.

"Always the optimist among us. I really admire your growth, Kairi" he admitted, forcing the young redhead to giggle in return.

Behind them, their friends were having so much fun in playing behind them. But they soon stopped playing and got up to join with Riku and Kairi. Along their journey, they had made some great friends. This group was composed of Roxas, Namine, Lea, Xion, Isa, Ventus, Aqua, Terra, Hayner, Pence and Olette. Together with Riku and Kairi, they had all promised to find Sora and bring him back. Each of them knew that he was still alive.

"I may not know much about traveling through worlds and stuff than I did as a Nobody. But rest assured, I'm always up for a new adventure" Lea said in his usual laidback manner.

Roxas and Xion both smiled at their friend. "You've really changed since you received your own Keyblade" Roxas told him.

Lea shrugged off his statement. "What are you talking about? I've always been like this…..well, minus the rudeness and all that crap" he assured him, much to the amusement of his friends.

"I know that we three don't possess that much clue about hearts and all that stuff" Hayner said while also addressing Pence and Olette. "But given what Sora has done for us, there's no way we're gonna just go back on it all. We all owe him for something" the teenage boy added their reason for wanting to find Sora.

"Sora has done each of us a great deed. That's why all of us are willing to partake in this search" Aqua said with optimism in her voice.

"Then we all know what awaits us. There will be challenges, but we can take them" Namine spoke up.

Riku stood beside her. "Are you sure you're ready for this? You've barley even finished your Keyblade-training" he asked her.

But Namine was undeterred. "I know I am. But in the meantime, I may have to ask for your assistance with regards to the training, Riku" the blondie told him.

Riku nodded his head in reply. "I sure will, Namine. The same goes for all of us. Who's carrying a Keyblade. This unknown battle is something we can't take for granted. But if we work together, as Sora would've wanted us to, I know we have a shot of winning it" he told everyone.

"Well said!" Terra responded, admiring Riku's resilience.

"We're gonna do this! We'll find him, together!" Kairi said as she and the others gazed out towards the horizon in the sea. "We'll find you, Sora. Just you wait" she spoke as if Sora could hear her say that.

As the sun went down upon the Destiny Islands, the group of friends that had been seen playing there was nowhere to be found. They had suddenly vanished into thin air. But for what reason?

* * *

_Somewhere in the distant place called the Forgotten Realms_

In a large, deep chamber, an old rat with golden eyes was sitting on his chair while listening to the voices that could be heard all around him. For some reason, a weak smile could be seen underneath his beard.

"I see. At long last, our prayers have been answered. Thank you, Great Owl, my dear old friend" the elderly rat spoke in a low voice.

The door to his chamber suddenly opened and in came a female brown-furred mouse wearing a red cape. She seemed very shy and timid, yet she possessed a very kind-hearted persona.

"Nicodemus…..sir….you wanted to see me?" the mouse spoke up while addressing the rat by his name.

"Ah, Mrs. Brisby. Come closer, child" Nicodemus told her.

Mrs. Brisby did as she told him and she approached Nicodemus and stood right before his throne.

"I have called upon you for an important message. It has to do with the one I spoke of. The Key Bearer" Nicodemus said. "He has been brought to the Forgotten Realms" he revealed.

"The Key Bearer?" the mouse said, while forming a smile. "Then that means we're saved? Will we all be able to stand against the darkness that threatens us?" Mrs. Brisby asked, feeling very hopeful.

But the elderly rat's face carried a troubled frown. "But unfortunately, he fell into the hands of Susquehana and her minions. And they have now allowed the Key Bearer to succumb to the darkness that has taken birth within him. However, he managed to escape her grasp. But I am afraid that he will now struggle with controlling the evil that seeks to consume him. This could be trouble for all of us" Nicodemus spoke grimly.

"No. It cannot be….." Mrs. Brisby felt herself on the verge of crying as she held onto the red amulet that she was carrying around her. She even looked at what was written on the back. "You can unlock any door, if you only have the key. That's what the Key Bearer can do, right? How then will we be able to stand against Susquehana and her minions? Each day, the Heartless draws closer to the Nocturnal Reserve" she read the inscription on the amulet before descending down to crying.

But the crying stopped when Nicodemus put a hand on her head, trying to comfort her sadness. "Have no fear, young one. All hope is not yet lost. And the Key Bearer can still be saved" he revealed. "Even now, the Great Owl himself tells me about more Key Bearers arriving in the Forgotten Lands. They will be of great help to turn the tide of battle…..as well as restore the one true Key Bearer to his full potential" he then told her.

The sadness had gradually started to disappear from Mrs. Brisby's face. She looked up to him. "If I may ask, sir. Who is this Key Bearer? What is his name?" she asked out of curiosity.

The smile on Nicodemus' face never faded away. "The name of that boy….the one who shall help us defeat Susquehana…and deliver us to our new home….is Sora" he revealed.

"Sora…" Mrs. Brisby felt herself on the verge of crying. She was now filled with hope. "So he's our hope…..just the prophecies tell us?" she stammered.

"Indeed, my child" Nicodemus told her. "No listen carefully. You know what you must do. Send this message to Squall Leonhart and Cloud Strife. They will know of what to do with our newfound allies. Even as we speak, the Key Bearer must be heading towards Nocturnal Reserve. And his friends will be sent across the Forgotten Realms. But in time, they will all reunite with one another. And then, our resistance against Susquehana can finally begin" Nicodemus revealed of what Mrs. Brisby's mission was.

The young mouse was already smiling. "Yes. I will deliver this message to them. You must be informed of how hope will rise" Mrs. Brisby said, only to face the ground with sadness. "Ever since we lost our worlds, we had all expected our existence to have vanished. But with the Key Bearer here…we may have a chance to build a better future for all of us" she said, feeling very sad yet joyful at the same time.

"That is true, Mrs. Brisby. Now, go and travel to the surface. Inform our friends there that the key to bring us all a new home. No longer will we be hiding in the shadows" Nicodemus told the mouse.

Mrs. Brisby nodded her head repeatedly. "Yes, sir I will! Thank you for all this wisdom!" she was so happy that she ran out of the hall.

Feeling satisfied, Nicodemus got up from his throne and walked over to what appeared to be a magical book. Opening it, he read an important excerpt.

"The Kingdom Hearts can only be opened by the Key Bearer. But they will only be born at the combined power of the Five Keyblade Princesses. But who are these princesses? I am afraid that I will have to ask for your help once again, dear old friend" Nicodemus said, thinking about whoever this Great Owl was. "And I still cannot understand…is Kingdom Hearts what is destined to become our new home? I must understand more about these phenomena" the elderly rat continued.

**KINGDOM HEARTS: AFTERLIFE OF ASTONISHMENT**

**Characters featured in this story**

**Square Enix:**

_Kingdom Hearts_

_Final Fantasy_

_The World Ends with You_

**Don Bluth Productions:**

_Banjo the Woodpile Cat_

_The Secret of NIMH_

_Dragon's Lair_

_Space Ace_

_Xanadu_

_An American Tail_

_The Land Before Time_

_All Dogs Go to Heaven_

_Satyrday_

_Jawbreaker_

_East of the Sun and West of the Moon_

_The Velveteen Rabbit_

_Rock-a-Doodle_

_Thumbelina_

_A Troll in Central Park_

_The Penguin and the Pebble_

_Anastasia_

_Titan A.E._

_Tapper World Tour_


	2. Memories of Nothingness

**MEMORIES OF NOTHINGNESS**

* * *

Sora didn't know where he was. He suddenly found himself standing on a space of endless darkness and shallow water. The Key Bearer looked around and saw nobody but himself.

"What happened? Where am I?" Sora asked himself as he looked around.

Feeling very uncomfortable with this environment, Sora started to run. But no matter how fast he ran nor how much he tried, nothing changed around him. They remained the same.

"No! WHAT IS THIS!?" a despaired Sora cried out. "WHY CAN'T I GET OUT OF HERE!?" he continued to express his frustration.

A familiar laughter could be heard coming from behind. This made Sora stop, as he realized something. It sounded like his own laughter. The only exception, it was much more sinister than his own. Slowly, turning around, Sora's eyes widened at the sight of an enemy he had fought recently. It was a boy that looked awfully similar to Sora, except for the black hair, fiery eyes and the red and black organic bodysuit. It wasVanitas, the shadow that existed within both Sora and Ventus.

"Vanitas…" Sora stammered, recalling the name of his foe.

So far, Vanitas had only glanced at Sora with a smirk of his own. "We meet again, Sora. And I see that you already remember my name. You're full of surprises" he remarked.

"But I don't understand…...during the final battle against Xehanort…you died….." the Key Bearer couldn't believe his ears and eyes.

"Fool. Have you forgotten what I told you and Ventus? I am the darkness that lives by your side. Whenever you chose to embrace it, I will always be there" Vanitas pointed out.

But Sora didn't believe him. "Embracing the darkness? I don't know what you're talking about!" he snapped back at his enemy.

"Then ask yourself this: Why are you in a foreign land far, far away instead of being back on the Destiny Islands with your friends? Perhaps you would be wise to consider finding out the answer to it" the black-haired boy pointed out.

Hearing this made Sora face the water beneath him with a somewhat ashamed expression. Guilt was now clouding his thoughts.

"During the final battle…...I sacrificed myself…...to rescue Kairi" he admitted.

A smug chuckle came out of Vanitas' mouth, making Sora agitated. Still, he was completely dismissive about the way Sora was behaving.

"You're only getting started in learning the truth, Sora. Keep up the good work. But you must hurry. There isn't much time left" he told him.

Sora was suddenly sucked into a black hole in the water. In other words, everything around him disappeared. The young boy screamed as he fell into the endless dark pits of despair.

"At the end of the day, the darkness inside of you will gain control of your heart. Once you do that, your humanity will vanish for eternity. So make haste, Sora. Find your way out of this despair before it consumes you" those were the last words of Vanitas before he was out of sight.

* * *

_In a dungeon somewhere in the Forgotten Realms_

Sora felt his entire consciousness returning to life. Moving his eyelids and hands, he awakened and started to feel the place around him. From what he could tell, he was lying on a rock-solid floor. He even noticed the lack of light in this room he was in.

"What happened? Where am I?" Sora weakly asked as he noticed how he was in some kind of a dungeon. At first, he was under the impression that he was alone, yet a lone voice made him snap in surprise.

"Look! He's awake!" a girly voice could be heard.

"Yeah. He's awake, alright. Yep, yep, yep" another voice could be heard.

"About time. I was beginning to worry whether he was dead" a male voice suddenly popped up.

"Dead? Get real! We could hear his heart beating, let alone him breathing!" a womanly voice rebuked the other.

Sora became both suspicious and curious at the same time. He was in a dark room, and the other half was covered in darkness. But it was obvious that he was not alone here.

"Who's there? And where am I?" he asked, while slowly getting up on his feet.

"Really? That's the first thing you ask us? Some nerve!" another woman could be heard speaking from the shadows.

"Give it a rest, guys! He's probably curious about who we are" the voice of a young boy could be heard.

"Perhaps we should go introduce ourselves then" a young girly voice joined in.

Sora stood by the wall, watching in awe as a group of strange people suddenly emerged out of hiding. The teenage boy was stunned, as there were three grown-ups, a young girl, a kitten, a mouse and a small dinosaur showing themselves for him. They each smiled at Sora, who felt the need to show something in return.

"Oh….hi there…" Sora stammered, as he approached the group. "I don't know how I got to this place, but I guess an introduction is an order. My name's Sora" he introduced himself, trying to be upbeat as he possibly could.

The only adult man among the group, who had brown hair, looked at Sora's persona with amusement. "The kid with the sunshine smile, I see. I like that" he said while reaching out a hand to him. "The name's Dimitri. Dimitri Antonov. An opposition speaker by profession" he shook hands with Sora.

"Tch, more like con artist by profession" the young woman with the black hair with purple streaks took a jab at Dimitri, much to his annoyance. "Anyway, I'm Akima Kunimoto. A resistance fighter turned prisoner" she introduced herself with a hint of irony.

Sora was curious. "Resistance fighter? You mean to tell me that you guys are all" he was speechless by what he was finding out.

The redheaded woman nodded her head for as a yes. "That's right. This is Forge Fortress, the nastiest and corrupted prison in Nocturnal Reserve. Any opposition to the government of Vayne Carudas Solidor gets put in here. I'm Kimberly, by the way" she introduced herself with a smile. However, it quickly turned upside down. "But it's not just opponents who get thrown behind bars. Everyone, including those innocent, are jailed without reason. And that's because those innocents are being sold off to the slave trade" she expressed her dissatisfaction.

"A jail, a government and a slave trade?" Sora couldn't believe his own ears. "What kind of world have I arrived at? And who is this Vayne Carudas Solidor?" he wondered to himself before sitting the floor with his behind.

The young black-haired girl dressed in ragged clothes nodded her head at him. "That's right. Those big meanies captured us. And we've not even allowed to go outside to see the sun" she said while facing the floor in a sad manner

Sora looked at the young girl, kitten, mouse and dinosaur. "But I don't understand. None of you don't look like resistance fighters to me" he told them.

"Yes. We're not opponents. We've never harmed anyone. Nope, nope, nope" the small dinosaur innocently said, yet she looked up at Sora with a smile. "My name's Ducky! Yes, that's my name!" she then introduced herself and approached Sora.

"I'm Tanya Mousekewitz" the young mouse told him her name.

"My name's Banjo!" the kitten with the scarf and the bowler hat told Sora as he climbed up his shoulder.

Sora was then greeted to the young girl, who nervously reached out her hand to him. "And I'm Anne-Marie. I hope you and I will become good friends" she said.

Sora was somewhat moved by how this shy, yet sweet girl wanted to become friends with him. Smiling, he gently shook Anne-Marie's hand, just as he was sitting down to her level.

"Nice to meet you, Anne-Marie. And of course, we can become friends" Sora assured her before looking up the door of steel in the dungeon. "By the way. What's the name of this place, I mean outside the prison?" he asked them.

The group were somewhat surprised that he asked such question. "Hold up. You mean you don't know where you are?" Dimitri asked before letting out a smug laugh. "Kid, this is Nocturnal Reserve, the only place of civilization in the Forgotten Realms. For some, it's a paradise. But to others like us, it's a refuge" he went one explaining the details.

"A refuge.…." Sora couldn't imagine what Dimitri and the others were truly. He even noticed how sad they became. He could tell that based upon the way Anna-Marie, Ducky, Banjo and Tanya were in tears. Feeling saddened, Sora quickly got over to their side. "There, there…it's okay to cry. That I can assure you" the Key Bearer told them.

"I'm all alone in this world!" Anna-Marie spoke through her sobbing. "Back in my homeworld, I was an orphan!" the little girl cried.

"I was separated from my family…I just wanna get back to them!" Tanya was in tears while thinking about her family.

Sora was given shock therapy. "So you mean to tell me that these Forgotten Lands are not really your home?" he asked lowly, this time directing his attention to the adults. He could see that even Dimitri, Akima and Kimberly were struggling to hold back their tears.

"It's true…..half of Nocturnal Reserve's people are refugees of many worlds…world's that were destroyed" Kimberly spoke through tears.

"By whom?" Sora asked, feeling a little bad in doing so, considering the state these people were in.

Only Akima seemed to have enough courage to answer, seeing as she were not in a sad state of mind. "That thing has many titles. The Destroyer of Worlds. The Heartbreaker. The Seeker of Knowledge. But those are only a few of the many titles she likes to address herself by. People like us know her better as our sworn and mortal enemy. The Drej Queen: Susquehana" Akima revealed the name of the creature she resented most.

As Sora heard that name, his entire body froze. For some reason, his mind drifted back into the past. He was getting some recollections in his head. And they all dated back to a time not very long ago.

""Yes. Sleep well, young Sora. Because sooner or later, your destiny will be fulfilled. And my goal of reaching Kingdom Hearts will become a reality. Until then, rest easy, Key Bearer. Because in time, the darkness will return to you" the voice brought a chill down his spine. But Sora couldn't understand why.

His newfound friends were concerned about Sora's sudden behavior.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Dimitri asked while putting a hand on his shoulder.

He and the others noticed how he was breathing deeply to calm himself. But in time, Sora managed to be at peace with his body. He nodded his head at Dimitri in a weak manner.

"Oh, yes. Sora looks okay to me. Yep, yep, yep" Ducky responded positively.

"Then we did we act so strange when he heard Queen….I mean, that thing's name?" Banjo wondered, careful not to make a mistake, seeing as how many of his fellow captives disliked hearing Susquehana being addressed with such formality.

Kimberly stroke her red hair. "Who wouldn't be? Everyone has heard about that thing, let alone witnessed the destruction she's capable of" she said.

"I'm alright. Honest" Sora told his new friends while smiling weakly. "It's just that hearing that name made me remember something. But I can't understand what it is" the Key Bearer told them.

Ducky was shocked. "Oh no, Sora don't remember where he came from. That's bad" the tiny dinosaur said.

"What's your home like?" Banjo suddenly asked out of the ordinary.

Sora felt more than happy to share this with his friends. "I come from the Destiny Islands. There's beaches, seashells, palm trees and…." Sora stopped speaking when he could notice how everyone was so interested in hearing more about his home. Smiling, Sora obliged. "And then there's stars shining on the skies during the nights. But most importantly, my friends are also living there" he said as he got a little emotional in saying that.

Anna-Marie got very curious. "But Sora, aren't your friends as well?" she asked, only to be gently showed away by Dimitri.

"I think that's enough questions for now. It's obvious, he's just like us. He's also not from around here" Dimitri told everyone.

All attentions were on the iron door as it was opened. In came two armored guards, already directing their attention at Sora.

"You!" one of the guards spoke, his voice ringing hallows through his helmet. "You are to come with us! There is someone who wishes to speak with you!" he added.

Sora, already feeling powerless to stand against them, was brought to chains and taken away. His newfound friends could only stand and watch this occur with despair.

"No! Sora! Please don't take him away!" Anne-Marie was on the verge of crying, seeing as he was taken away by the guards.

The other guard stood in the opening, facing each of the other prisoners. "All of you are to stay put! Any attempt at escape will result in your deaths!" he ruthlessly told them before slamming the door shut.

Sora felt himself helpless. He couldn't feel the Keyblade, and it was impossible for him to call upon it. The teenage boy really wanted to know why such could happen. But on the other hand, he was awfully curious to know who in the world wanted to meet him? As far as he knew, he didn't know anyone in Nocturnal Reserve besides the prisoners he'd met.

"I just don't understand! Who in this place could possibly want to see me?" Sora wondered, as he dragged along the darkened hallways like some helpless, old man.

* * *

_Somewhere in a thorny forest, the Forgotten Realms_

Kairi was on high alert as she walked around these dreaded woods. The redhead could barley even understand what had happened. She was on the Destiny Islands with her friends, yet all of a sudden, she was sucked into an unknown darkness. And worse, she was all alone with none of her friends around.

"Riku! Roxas! Namine! Lea! Xion! Anybody!" Kairi tried calling out one last time, but it was no use. Realizing how fruitless it was, the redheaded teenager proceeded to walk through these haunted woods. "This forest reeks of evil. I can feel it. But it's also a place we've never been to before. Neither Sora nor Riku told me anything about a thorny forest" she said as she looked up to the tall trees.

So far, she had not encountered a threat. But Kariri knew that such event was inevitable. And whatever evil that would show itself, she would fight back. After years of feeling like a helpless damsel in distress, there was no way Kairi would sit by and let enemies get their hands on her.

"I wonder. Could it possibly be that Sora's here? No, what am I even thinking? There's no way that he could've…." Kairi's thinking was interrupted by a loud cry for help coming near her.

"HELP! HEELP!" the voice screeched.

Kairi could only understand that there was danger nearby. She ran up the hill and looked from up there. She witnessed something so ugly. A large spider web was formed between two trees. And in it, a mouse and a crow were caught. But the most horrific part was seeing black spiders attempting to devour them. Big, ugly, hairy and nasty spiders. It didn't take long for Kairi to realize what they really were.

"Those are not just spiders…THEY'RE HEARTLESS!" Kairi said, before calling upon her Keyblade to her side. The brave redhead brandished Destiney's Embrace. "I may not know the entire story, but those Heartless must be put out!" she said before charging straight towards one of the creatures.

Jumping up in the air, Kairi proceeded to stab one of the arachnoid Heartless, thus finishing it off. The other ones took notice of Kairi's appearance. As soon as they watched her with her Keyblade, they directed their aggression and hostility towards her.

No matter how ugly these things, Kairi was far from intimidated. "You may look scary! But that's not enough to make me abandon those in need!" the teenage girl snapped, daring her foes to come after her.

Despite those spiders being many, Kairi still possessed the advantage. She had mastered a lot with how to use the Keyblade, including learning several spells. Some of the Heartless attempted to capture her by shooting out web, but those attempts were futile. One by one, she cut them down, watching as they bled or disintegrated into nothingness.

Once the fight was over, Kairi looked over the mouse and the crow caught in the web. They were stunned by her appearance, yet Kairi made it sure that she was no threat to them.

"Fear not. I mean you no harm" she sweetly told them while using the Keyblade the cut through the web.

Once they were free, the three animals each took their time to express relief over being freed.

"Thank you so much for rescuing us, lady! I really thought this was about to be the end of me! Oh, but I'm still breathing here and now, aren't I?" the crow with the red string around him said before bursting out laughing.

The mouse with the red cape shook her head in slight disappointment. "Jeremy. This is nothing to joke about" she lightly scolded him.

"I know, Mrs. Bris. But I just hoped for us to be rescued and look at us now!" the crow named Jeremy said.

Still, the mouse was not as receptive of his idea. "Why am I even trying" she said, deciding to express her gratitude to Kairi. She even let her use her hand, so that they could face each other directly. "Thank you for saving us. If it weren't for you, I don't think we would've survived at all" she thanked her.

Kairi smiled at the mouse in return. "No problem. You're both safe now. My name's Kairi" she told her.

"Kairi….that's a wonderful name" the mouse was interested. "I'm Mrs. Brisby" she kindly introduced herself.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Brisby" Kairi replied back, feeling a good vibe between her and the mouse.

"Hey! Don't forget about me!" Jeremy suddenly interjected by climbing up to Kairi's left shoulder. "I'm Jeremy! And Mrs. Bris there is one of my best pals…I mean…confidante" he tried saying the right things, but to no avail.

"You're still not making any sense, Jeremy" Mrs. Brisby bluntly told him.

Kairi, as amused as she was about these animals, decided to ask some question. "What were you two doing out here in this forest?" she asked.

"We were on our way to Nocturnal Reserve to deliver an important message. And of course, Jeremy flew me over the forest" Mrs. Brisby explained. "However, Jeremy made the tiniest mistake of flying so low. And that's when we crashed into that spiderweb.

"How was I supposed to know that there were Heartless-spiders skulking around these forests?" Jeremy protested.

"Well, it was only fortunate that I was around to save you two" Kairi said while holding onto her Keyblade.

Seeing the Keyblade really made Mrs. Brisby surprised and relieved at the same time. "That weapon…is that a…..Keyblade?" the young mouse asked.

"Why, yes. But how do you…." Kairi was surprised when she could see the tears coming out of Mrs. Brisby's eyes. She was crying, but not out of sadness. It was out of joy.

Mrs. Brisby climbed up to Kairi's right shoulder and held onto her cheek. Matter of fact, she was hugging her.

"Praise the Great Owl! You're here! The Key Bearers have finally arrived in the Forgotten Realms!" the mouse was filled with happiness.

Kairi was unsure, yet she couldn't deny the passion in Mrs. Brisby's voice. "I see. That explains why me and the others were brought here" she thought. She smiled as she rose up on her feet. "So, Mrs. Brisby? What is this Nocturnal Reserve you speak of?" she asked her.

"Why, it's the only place of civilization here in the Forgotten Realms. I was supposed to deliver a message from Nicodemus to two resistance members: Cloud Strife and Squall Leonhart" Mrs. Brisby answered.

Kairi was stunned. "I don't know who this Cloud Strife is. But Squall Leonhart on the other hand…she's talking about Leon!" the Keyblade-wielder recalled to what he had learned on her journey, as well as the people Sora had met. "Please. Take me to this Nocturnal Reserve" she told both the mouse and the crow.

Mrs. Brisby was more than agreeable to her request. "Of course, Kairi. It's the least we can do for you. After all, my children would've been motherless if it weren't for your rescue" she tearfully admitted.

The teenage girl was stunned. "You have a family…" she gasped, yet soon found herself feeling very happy for the mouse. "Then they are lucky to have a kind-hearted mother like you, Mrs. Brisby" Kairi expressed her admiration, much to the mouse's gratitude.

Jeremy flew up on the air, soon taking his place on Kairi's left shoulder. "Alrighty then! Now that we're all set and ready to go, I say we…WHOA!" the crow fell of as Kairi brushed him off. "Hey! What's the big idea?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, Jeremy. But perhaps it would be better for you to be our eyes and ears in the air above us. Mrs. Brisby will sit on my shoulder" Kairi said as she helped the mouse getting seated right.

"What? But how come I have to be the…" Jeremy soon stopped when he noticed his own wings. "Oh, that's right. Because I'm a crow, plus I've got wings. Excuse my outburst earlier" the chuckled before taking to the air.

Kairi observed his behavior with a raised eyebrow. "Is he always like this?" she asked the mouse on her shoulder.

"Jeremy may not always be the brightest type, but he has helped me in the past. I owe him much as a result" Mrs. Brisby told her before pointing her tiny finger at the direction. "Now the only way to get of Thorny Maze is by following that path. But you must be careful. Those woods are crawling with Heartless waiting to devour anyone foolish enough to wander here" she advised Kairi.

"I see. Thank you for this info beforehand. I'll keep that in mind as we walk through here" Kairi responed.

And so, Kairi along with Jeremy and Mrs. Brisby wandered through this Thorny Maze, in hopes of reaching civilization.

* * *

_Somewhere in a dangerous jungle, the Forgotten Realms_

Riku and Namine found themselves in what could've been called a fertile place. But that was hardly it. This jungle was more than just lush. Almost everywhere they went, a dangerous plant would suddenly try eating them. The while place was alive. Still, they were no match for the Keyblade-wielders, especially Riku, who was an experienced fighter.

On the other hand, Namine was not bad herself. Even now, she had managed to take out a plant that had tried to eat her. Riku was amazed by her reflexes. The blondie stood focused while holding her white and blue Keyblade called Fate's Judgement.

"You're doing well so far, Namine. Obviously, our sparring lessons has paid you off" Riku informed her.  
Namine smiled in return. "I appreciate your feedback, Riku" she said, only to look around with a somewhat troubled expression. "But for some reason, I have this feeling in my gut that this place is more than just wild plants. And we don't know where the others are" she admitted to him.

Riku rested his Keyblade, Braveheart, on his shoulder while moving slowly. "Perhaps so. But we must not underestimate their capabilities. Kairi, Roxas and the others are stronger than you imagine" he told her while scouring the environment for any threats.

Namine had to giggle in return. "Oh, I know that. But what I said was not necessarily out of concern. It just feels so lonely to be apart from them. I'm glad that you're here with me at least" she told him.

As surprised as Riku was, he had to smile, finding it amusing to see how Namine had changed. She no longer sounded like the shy and introverted girl from before.

As they wandered through the jungle, the two friends couldn't help but to notice how lush this place was. There were so many leaves and plants that betrayed the actual dangerous atmosphere in the area.

They noticed some vines blocking their way, given that they were hanging around a tree. Fortunately, the space beneath them was large enough to crawl under the branch. Using their Keyblades, Riku and Namine cut through the vines, crawling under the tree to see where they would enter.

Both of them were stunned. What they could see happened to be a lake where a waterfall ran down from a mountain. The place looked very open, given that they there were fewer trees that were blocking the air. Still, neither Riku nor Namine let down their guards.

Slowly, they stepped onto the lake, noticing how shallow it was. They continued to move across it, with each one's back at one another. Looking around, they didn't see anything that was a threat to them.

"It's too quiet around here" Namine spoke up lowly.

"I agree. Something's not right" Riku said in agreement, his eyes narrowing further. "Stay sharp, Namine. We're not the only ones in this jungle" he said.

"Certainly" the blondie responded.

"SHARPTOOOTH!" both Keyblade-wielders snapped as they could hear a squeaky voice flying straight towards them. This came from a small winged creature that closely resembled a bird. Accidentally, it crashed into Riku's face. But it soon realized its mistake and smiled nervously at the teenage boy. "Oopsie. Me sorry!" he told him.

Riku quickly got the creature off him, forcing it to fly on its own. "Who are you? And what's all this fuzz about?" he asked the winged creature, who happened to be a dinosaur.

"No time to talk! You need to flee! Big and mean sharptooth's chasing us!" the dinosaur told them.

"Sharptooth? Us? What do you mean?" Namine asked him.

They soon got their answer when they heard the screams of several others coming near the waterfall. Judging by their voice, they sounded like children. Except, they were young dinosaurs. The first one was light pink with a long neck. The second one was yellow with three horns. And the third one was green with a thick tail. These four-legged creatures ran as fast as they could.

That's when Riku and Namine were treated to a horrifying view. A large black-skinned dinosaur with glowing golden eyes and sharp teeth roared as he chased the younger dinosaurs. It's appearance mirrored that of a tyrannosaurus rex, yet for the Keyblade-wielders, it was more than that. This imposing creature was in reality a Heartless. But for Riku and Namine, it was something they'de never seen in their lifetimes.

"What kind of monster is that!?" Namine was in disbelief as she held onto her Keyblade. "Is that thing really a Heartless!?" he then added.

Riku tightened his hold on the Keyblade. "Whatever it is, it's completely different from the Heartless I've seen. It's almost as if this creature…..is just corrupted" he noted, only to realize the Heartless dinosaur turn its attention on him and Namine.

As he did that, the creature became overly aggressive, charging towards them as if they were prey. He had for some reason lost interest in chasing the young dinosaurs. They were now his targets.

"It's heading towards us!" Namine said.

"Of course! It must've taken notice of our Keyblades. No matter what that thing was, it's still a Heartless. And all Heartless become aggressive when they see a Keyblade" Riku summarized, noticing how fast the Heartless dinosaur was with its feet. At this rate, making a run for it was futile. Riku saw only one option left. "Namine! It's too late for us to try and outrun it! We'll have no choice but to take on him together! Are you with me?" he told Namine, wanting to make sure that she was prepared.

A gentle smile was formed on her lips. "If I was, then I certainly wouldn't be running away at this moment" Namine told him, only to direct her attention towards the Heartless. "But whether we make it alive or not is irrelevant. Right now, ending that thing is all that matters" she said.

Riku was satisfied with her answer. "That's just what I wanted to hear from you" he said as he started running, with Namine tagging along. "You know what to do! I take him from the left! You take him from the right!" he explained their strategy.

"On it!" Namine responded.

The Heartless was standing still, yet it still possessed the advantages given its huge size and monstrous teeth and claws. However, that didn't neccesarily mean Riku and Namine were powerless against him. Every time the Heartless tried catching them with it's jaws, they would avoid them by jumping backwards or slide underneath it with the help of the water.

Meanwhile, someone watched the fight from the sidelines. It was the young dinosaur with the long neck. He watched in awe as Riku and Namine held on their own against the monster. Needless to say, he was astonished.

"Littlefoot! What are you doing!?" a girly voice called from behind and it came from the yellow dinosaur with the three horns. She was joined by the green one, as well as the flying one. "We don't have time to be standing around here anymore! We need to get outta here!" she called out to him.

"Cera right! We flee now! That sharptooth will eat us all!" the flying dinosaur told Littlefoot.

But he was unmoved. "But just look, guys! Those people…they're actually winning!" Littlefoot spoke up as he was amazed with the battle so far.

The one named Cera rolled her eyes at him. "That's a lie, you stupid flathead! They'll only end up getting eaten sooner or later!" she reprimanded him.

"I don't think so, Cera! Just see for yourself!" Littlefoot hit back, refusing to leave with his friends.

As they all watched the fight, they noticed how Riku had taken bold steps to actually climb upon the Heartless by starting at tis tail. He had done that while Namine had distracted it with the few spells she had learned. As Riku climbed upon the back, the Heartless noticed his appearance and tried moving around in order to shake him off. But Riku was faster. Using his Keyblade, he constantly slashed the monster's neck, causing it to bleed endlessly. To deliver the finishing blow, Riku stabbed the Heartless through its neck.

Namine, sensing an opportunity, jumped up in the air. She quickly stabbed the Heartless through its chest, then proceeding to form a cut that ran down along its stomach. With that taken care of, the beast began disintegrating. It's existence vanished into thin air. The two Keyblade-wielders landed on the shallow lake together. They took their time to catch their breaths.

"How was I?" Namine asked him.

Riku had to chuckle at this. "What kind of question is that? You did great, Namine. It was your distraction that enabled me to attack it from behind" he pointed out.

Namine giggled, appreciating his feedback, despite feeling a bit flattered. She then took notice of the young dinosaurs that had been hiding behind a nearby tree. With the monster defeated, they had slowly started to come out. Still, they seemed rather suspicious towards the two.

"It's alright. You can come out now. The monster's gone" Namine called out to them. She did her best to be as compassionate as she could be. "Come out. We mean you no harm" she told them.

One by one, Littlefoot and his friends started to approach the two Keyblade-wielders. In time, they gradually opened up to them. In fact, Littlefoot even took the initiative to thank Riku and Namine for what they did.

"Thanks for saving us. We thought that sharptooth would eat us" Littlefoot expressed his gratitude.

Namine smiled sweetly at them. "Well, it was only our pleasure. Thank goodness that none of you were harmed" she told them in return.

"Yes! Petrie very grateful! Grateful indeed" the flying dinosaur addressed himself by his name. "Look! Spike also grateful!" he then pointed out to the green dinosaur repeatedly nodding his head in agreement.

Cera, however, was not as enthusiastic. "Hmph. I could've handled that sharptooth on my own" she boasted stubbornly.

"Cera…." Littlefoot reprimanded his friend.

Riku, however, was amused. "Oh really? Then how come you ran away screaming just now?" he bluntly told her.

This made the tomboyish dinosaur direct her anger towards him. "I did not!" she snapped at him.

"Oh yes! Cera sure did run and scream!" Petrie spoke up.

"Whose side are you on!?" Cera snapped at him, yet Petrie only laughed at seeing her getting that ticked off.

"Anyway. What are you doing in a place like this?" Riku wanted some questions out of them. "If there are creatures like that Heartless skulking around this jungle, then its' dangerous here" he told them.

"Heartless? That thing was a Heartless?" Littlefoot asked them. "Looked like a sharptooth to me" he said.

"That's not the point here. My point is, you guys have no business being here with that Heartless being around here" Riku corrected the dinosaurs.

"You're wrong!" Cera snapped at Riku. "We do have business being here! This is where we find our food!" she told him.

Namine, feeling that Riku's tone was getting a little tough, decided to step in. "I see. So this place is the only one where there are leaves for you to eat, right?" she kindly asked them. But she could see how sad those young dinosaurs looked.

"I guess you could say so. Of all the places in the Forgotten Realms, the Forbidden Jungle is the only place for us planteaters to find food" Littlefoot lowered his head in sadness. "Nocturnal Reserve is no place for us. We get treated like slaves and pack animals. In fact, our families and friends from the Great Valley are being held there" he said while crying.

Riku and Namine watched in sorrow as the young dinosaur began expressing their sadness. However, they had started to slowly get some info of this place they had arrived at.

"We be no treated fairly! People of Nocturnal Reserve so mean!" Petrie spoke up, even him feeling sad. "And they hold our good friend Ducky imprisoned" he told them.

Even the formerly brash Cera was now shedding tears. "My daddy was also taken! And he's the toughest guy I've ever known! He never backs down!" she told them.

The two Keyblade-wielders could now see how these young children were lost and hopeless. Riku was now even regretting the tone he'd used against them. Still, he knew that he could at least make something up for it. Looking at Namine, she nodded her head in agreement. They both knew what to do.

"Then take us to Nocturnal Reserve" Riku told them, much to the young dinosaur's surprise. He smiled at them. "You heard me. Take us there. We're not familiar with these Forgotten Realms, so perhaps you could help us" he said to them.

"My name is Namine. And judging by what you're telling me, you seem to be children in need. There's no way that we could possibly leave you behind" she told them. "If you lead us to Nocturnal Reserve, we'll help you in getting your friend and families back" she told them.

The sadness on the young dinosaur's faces began to vanish. Their spirits were lifted up by the Namine's words. In their eyes, she was their savior.

"And my name's Riku. Sorry for being harsh on you earlier" he started by apologizing to them. "And just like Namine said, we'll help you with finding those you love if you lead us to that place. And as a Key Bearer…..I won't go back on my word" he then said.

"Will you help us?" Namine gently asked them.

Littlefoot and Spike were already ganging upon the two Keyblade-wielders, licking them out of love. In the meantime, Petrie was hugging Riku on his head. Cera approached Namine, who gently petted her head in return. This only confirmed that they were more than happy to help Riku and Namine find their way.

"My name's Littlefoot! And this here is Spike!" he introduced both himself and Spike, who didn't appear to be speaking at all.

"Me Petrie!" the flying dinosaur introduced himself.

"And I'm Cera!" she told them her name, sounding quite outspoken.

Realizing what they needed to do, Riku and Namine got up on their feet.

"Then let's go to Nocturnal Reserve. All of us" Riku told them.

"And we'll help you in any way we possibly can" Namine assured the dinosaurs.

And then they all traveled together through the jungle, hoping to reach this place in time. As much as Namine and Riku wanted to focus on looking after Sora, that would have to wait. Right now, someone really needed their help.

_To be continued….._


	3. A Twisted Reality

**A TWISTED REALITY**

* * *

_Somewhere in boggy swamps, the Forgotten Realms_

Roxas and Lea had arrived somewhere in boggy swamps. This environment was soggy and filled with insects, not to mention how wet it was. Rivers were dominating the scene, yet there were bridged that kept the bayou walkable. The two Keyblade-wielders were disgusted, yet Lea seemed to be the one who expressed it so openly.

"Ugh! Gross!" he exclaimed as he stepped into what appeared to be mud. "What kind of craphole did we get ourselves transported to!?" Lea added.

Roxas shook his head lightly, finding it amusing to watch his friend's reaction. "Beats me. But all things considered. We're in a place we've never been to" he told him.

Lea managed to get his foot out of the mud, trying to clean off his shoe by the nearby grass. "Well, that's painfully obvious. I just hope Xion, Isa and the others didn't end up at worse places than this!" he expressed his dissatisfaction.

"Well, I say we go have a look around. It may look all gloomy here, but these bridges and lights tell me a different story. It's like someone lives around here" Roxas pointed out as he moved through the bushes and wet plants.

"Oh yeah? That's probably because this place is full of nutcases, wackjobs or whoever the hell lives around here" Lea spoke up.

Ignoring his friend's complaining, Roxas proceeded to move towards the place where there was light. He and Lea eventually found themselves standing on a road that seemed quite muddy. But there were lanterns hanging by the trees along the way. Something was not right.

"Not a soul around here so far. But maybe we should just follow that path and see where it takes us" Roxas suggested.

"Fine by me. It doesn't help to just stand around here doing nothing" Lea agreed.

And so, the two friends began moving, hoping that they would find something. Crossing the bridge, Roxas and Lea could see what appeared to be a town. Frankly, it looked more like a shack. They already saw some people walking in and out of the place.

"Finally! Civilization at last!" Lea exclaimed, although he couldn't help but to look around and see how people were walking past them as if they were nothing. They ranged from humans to animals such as dogs, cats, pigs and vice versa. "But strange townspeople, though. They seem so miserable" the red-haired man noted.

That was true. Each man, woman or creature they passed by were met with rude glares or cold shoulders. It was as if Roxas and Lea were treated wit suspicion. Lea was having second thoughts about coming to this place.

Roxas, on the other hand, had taken notice of how many dogs there were in this shack town. He couldn't tell whether they were stray dogs or not. Still, it was amazing to see such in a shack town in the middle of nowhere.

"Roxas, I say we get outta here. There's no way that we could…" Lea stopped speaking when he noticed Roxas approaching someone. "Hello? Where are you going?" he wondered.

The teenage boy saw a dog that was standing in the space between two shack houses. Based upon its breed, it was a German Shepherd. It wore a golden watch around its neck. Roxas smiled as his eyes met the dog's.

"Hey, dog! Come over here, boy!" Roxas called out to the dog, taking small steps towards it in the process. "There, there. Don't be afraid. I won't harm you" he continued to converse with the dog. Lea had no clue on what was going on, yet he decided to follow his friend anyway.

Moving closer, Roxas reached out his hand to the dog, yet he seemed very confused at his gesture for some reason. The dog looked at his hand before doing the unthinkable.

"I won't sniff at it if that's what you want me to" the dog spoke with a male voice.

Roxas and Lea snapped in surprise at this, completely caught off guard by what the animal just did. Roxas backed away a little further, already stunned at hearing the dog talk.

"Did that dog just….talk?" Lea asked, his eyes never leaving sight of the German Shepherd.

"Sure, I did! What are you, deaf?" the dog replied, feeling quite agitated.

"Woah…." Lea couldn't believe his own ears. "The dog actually talked! And he sounds smart too" he spoke up out of admiration.

But the animal didn't seem pleased with his words. "Hey, stop calling me dog! I have a name, ya know!" he hit back.

"Alright, I get it! Geez, no need to get so hissy. I'm just blown away by the fact that a dog can talk!" Lea responded.

"Well, now ya know! So back off!" the German Shepherd hit back.

Roxas stepped in the middle, wanting to de-escalate the situation. "I'm sorry. We're not from around here. And we didn't expect someone like you to speak so intelligently. That's truly amazing, if you ask me" the young boy said.

The dog responded by leaning onto a barrel with a confident smile. "Eh, no biggie. I ain't from around here, either" he said before introducing himself. "The name's Charlie. Charlie B. Barkin" he told them.

"Charlie, huh? Well, my name's Roxas" the boy introduced himself.

"And I'm Lea. Got it memorized?" he said in its usual catchphrase.

Charlie didn't know what to say. "I don't know what that means, but whatever. Fancy names you folks have" he said before deciding to change the subject. "Say, you guys don't look like you're with the Nocturnal Reserve's city guard. And you don't seem to be from around here, either. But are you fighters?" he then asked them.

Roxas felt obligated to answer, despite Lea having some reservations with regards to revealing their Keyblades. Still, Roxas showed him his two Keyblades: Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

"Woah! What are those?" Charlie asked, feeling quite interested.

"Those are Keyblades. See, me and Lea here are what you can call a Keyblade-wielder. We use them to battle our foes with. I assume you haven't heard about them" Roxas explained.

"Nope. Can't say I have" Charlie responded. But an idea suddenly crossed into his mind and he knew just what to do. "Ya know, if you're looking for some info, this place ain't exactly the type to find some. After all, the Demon's Bayou is where the mean guys in all the Forgotten Realms usually hang out" the dog explained to them.

Lea raised an eyebrow in question. "Mean guys? And who would those be?" he asked bluntly.

Feeling a chill down his spine, Charlie came up with an answer. "Well, I mean the bandits, the gamblers, the con artists, the ruffians and all other types of dishonest people" he told them.

"But aren't you among those?" Lea flatly pointed out.

"Hey, hey, hey! Ease up with the hostility here, buddy! I'll have you know that I've got a boat docked near this shabby town. And I would be more than happy to take you there! So you better watch yourself!" Charlie barked back.

Roxas was now curious to know more. "A boat? You mean you can take us out of this place?" he asked Charlie.

The dog smirked at him in return. "Sure. I'll even take you guys on a ride to Nocturnal Reserve. That's the only place of lawful civilization on this god-forsaken world. And considering that you folks seem lost, that place is the only one I think where you can find what you're looking for" he told them.

"That's great! We'll happily ride with you on…."Roxas was stopped by Charlie.

"Uh-huh. Not so fast, chum. If you wanna ride, then you gotta pay the fare" the dog told them while reaching out his paw as if he wanted something.

Both Keyblade-wielders were baffled at his demand.

"But we don't have any money" Roxas pointed out.

In response, Charlie turned around to walk away from them. "Oh well, that's too bad. Because in the Forgotten Realms, or more specifically here in the Demon's Bayou, not everything is free. They have a price. And I ain't the type of dog to do business with freeloaders" he told them.

Hearing this made Lea agitated. "Now hold on just a damn minute! We just got transported into this unknown world and you expect us to have some cash!? Get real!" the red-haired man reprimanded the dog.

"So? Not my problem" Charlie responded before walking away.

But as he did that, he was suddenly embraced by a screaming Dachshund wearing a red cap and a dark blue tank top. He looked quite paranoid, as he grabbed onto Charlie.

"THERE YOU ARE, CHARLIE! I WAS LOOKING ALL OVER FOR YOU!" he cried out while never letting go of Charlie.

"Get a grip, Itchy! What's gotten into you all of a sudden!?" Charlie said.

The dog named Itchy got off his friend and looked at him with a worried face. "This is serious, boss! Those nasty-looking things we saw yesterday, they're back! And they're already snooping around our boat!" he cried out in desperation.

"What!? But how!?" Charlie was outraged.

"I don't know! But look, we ain't got nothin' to lose! I say we get the heck outta this place while we're still alive! Come on, we gotta hurry before they…." Itchy stopped talking when he heard growling noises of someone appearing behind him. "Eeeeep! Here they come!" he grew increasingly paranoid.

Roxas and Lea looked past the dogs to see the creatures lurking up from the nearby water. There was a pack of them coming up towards the group in the space between the shack houses. They looked like tailed amphibians, specifically salamanders. But they knew that was not the case. Their monstrous teeth and golden eyes could only indicate one thing.

"Hey Roxas! Those things are…." Lea eventually understood what he thought.

"I know. They're Heartless" Roxas agreed, pulling out his Keyblades. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked his friend.

Smirking, Lea called upon his Keyblade, Flame Liberator. "Damn right. I'm all fired up and ready to take care of those suckers. You've no idea how much I've missed this" he replied.

With that said, the two friends started battling the amphibiotic Heartless. They had started to direct their wrath upon them, most likely due to their Keyblades. Despite the Heartless being superior in terms of numbers, they were no match for the combined teamwork of Roxas and Lea.

The two dogs were watching the battle occur in astonishment. "Hey, boss. Who're these guys?" Itchy asked, already too distracted by witnessing the impressive abilities the Keyblade-wielders possessed.

Charlie was as equally amazed. Matter of fact, a mischievous idea popped into his head once again. He formed a smug grin with his jaws. "Our new bodyguards. As well as our one-way ticket to Nocturnal Reserve" he told his partner, who was surprised.

"Our bodyguards? You don't seriously mean you plan on…." Itchy stopped speaking when he noticed Charlie nodding his head repeatedly. "Oh, I see where you're getting. But you gotta promise me that we're going for it, Charlie. I mean, we can't let those two down. And forget about getting back at Carface for whatever reasons he did" he explained.

"Of course, pal. I'll promise you that" Charlie said in return.

The two dogs looked to see that the Heartless had been defeated. Roxas and Lea did a fistbump with each other as they complimented each other's efforts.

"Nice work, Lea. You're really getting the hang of using the Keyblade" Roxas remarked.

"That's because I'm as pragmatic as I possibly can be" Lea responded before planting a kiss on his Keyblade. "Yeah, as long as I wield this baby, every foe will be running to their deaths should they attack me" he continued to act boastfully.

Roxas had to laugh in what he was seeing. But that laughing ended when they were approached by Charlie and Itchy. The two dogs even gave them some applause.

"Hey! Good work out there, guys! You were great!" Charlie praised them before letting Itchy step forward. "Allow me to introduce you to my best pal and partner: Itchy Itchiford" he introduced them to him.

"Hiya, folks! Thanks for rescuing our butts just now. Those ugly things have been on our tails for the last couple of weeks" Itchy expressed his gratitude.

Roxas smiled at them. "You're welcome" he told them.

But Lea was not amused by their attempt to flatter him. "It's a shame that neither of you were strong enough to take care of those Heartless" he roasted them.

"Heartless? So that's what those things are called?" Charlie asked. "It's all thanks to that idiot King Gator! He and his tribe had to try creating something with that voodoo of his!" the dog lamented.

Itchy found himself chuckling. "But he's your howl's biggest fan, Charlie. What would he do if you said those to him?" he snickered.

"Shut up!" Charlie's irritation forced Itchy to shut up. "Anyway. I may have been a little too harsh on you guys. You see, I didn't actually mean you had to pay for coming along on our boat" he told them.

Lea crossed his arms. "So, now you wanna be all chummy with us?" he was nudged by Roxas, who didn't appreciate his answer.

"You really mean it? We don't have to pay for coming with you on the boat?" Roxas asked them.

"Of course! I mean, given that you guys just saved our hides, the least I can do for ya is give you a ride for free. Consider that as my gratitude. I'll take you to Nocturnal Reserve, and you'll find out whatever you need to do" Charlie kept tempting them. "Besides, traveling through Devil's Bayou is quite dangerous. And there's no way me and Itchy will be able to fight these "Heartless-thingies". So what do you say, guys?" he added with more promises.

Neither of the Keyblade-wielders seemed to object to this offer, although Lea was showing a little hint of misgivings. Still, they couldn't deny that Charlie and Itchy seemed to know more about these Forgotten Realms than they did.

"Alright. Then take us to the boat. We'll accompany you and you'll take us to Nocturnal Reserve" Roxas laid out the concessions.

"Fantastic! That means we have a deal! Follow us! The boat's just on the other side of those trees!" Charlie told them and began moving. "Hey, Itchy. Those fiends didn't destroy the boat before you came here, right?" he asked his partner.

"That's right, boss. They wanted our hides, not our boat!" the Dachshund said in return.

"Sweet! That means we're all seat to go to Nocturnal Reserve!" Charlie declared.

Neither Roxas nor Lea seemed to take his enthusiasm for real. "I know that these guys may not be the smartest bunch. But they seem to know the way to whatever this Nocturnal Reserve is. I say we stay with them until we reach that place" he suggested to his friend.

Lea rolled his eyes in return. "Whatever you say, buddy" he responded with little enthusiasm.

* * *

_Somewhere in the sewers below Nocturnal Reserve, the Forgotten Realms_

Xion found herself moving in a sewer system that almost resembled a labyrinth. There was barely enough light to help her navigate. The black-haired girl found her way through regardless. She didn't know where she was, yet still carried an optimism within herself. Things were going smoothly, seeing as she didn't encounter on an enemy so far.

"I know that I'm no longer with the rest of the gang anymore. But I gotta find a way out of this place. They look very uninviting to me" Xion admitted as she looked around.

Entering a pipe, Xion walked towards the exit, realizing that it had a bright light at the end. For the teenage girl, it signified something.

"That's it! That's gotta be an exit or something!" she exclaimed while running straight towards the circle of light.

As she ran towards the exit, Xion stopped when she could hear a conversation happening. Sneaking towards the exit, the young girl took her time to eavesdrop on what she was hearing.

"Let us go!" the voice of a young boy could be heard. "Let us go, you big, ugly cat!" it continued.

"Pipe down, pipsqueak! You and your friends aren't goin' anywhere!" a bullying voice caught Xion's ears with interest.

Taking a peek, Xion could see what was happening below her. In a hall thar seemed to resemble a dungeon, a brown-furred cat dressed in a red jacket while smoking a cigar was holding three mice captured in a cage. This cat was known to have two golden teeth, something that could be seen as he smiled or laughed evilly.

From the look of things, that cat was holding those three mice captives. He was accompanied by a small and hyperactive cricket, who was sitting on the cat's shoulder.

"Now I'm only gonna say this nicely one last time! Tell me where the that ol' rat named Nicodemus is hiding? Or would you rather join your mice in the Forge Fortress!" the cat interrogated them.

The female mouse with orange hair looked up at him with defiance. "We would never sell out a venerated prophet to greedy moneygrubbers such as yerself, Warren T. Cat!" she spoke in an Irish accent.

"Yeah! You and your pals can go back scurrying to that cowardly Vayne for better pay! You won't be getting any from us!" the black-haired mouse with a strange hat hit back.

The cat called Warren T. Cat only chuckled evilly at what he was seeing. He seemed far from intimidate by their defiance.

"Oh, so that's how you kids wanna play, eh?" Warren said and proceeded to lift up the cage with the three mice in it. He glanced at them in a sadistic manner. "Then you're all set for a trip to the Forge Fortress! More slaves for me to sell!" he laughed as he started walking.

The youngest mouse, who was noticeable for his big, blue hat was crying as he thought about going to that prison. "Mama. Papa. Tanya. Yasha. Tiger" he sobbed, forcing the mice to comfort him. It was clear that those were people really dear to him.

Warren was laughing as he walked with his cage on a wagon, but he was stopped when someone stood in his way.

"Stop right there!" Xion said while brandishing her Keyblade.

"What the…who the heck are you!?" Warren felt somewhat intimidated by her weapon.

"All that you gotta know is that I'm rescuing those three mice!" the black-haired girl pointed out.

The small cockroach sitting on the at's shoulder snapped as he looked at Xion's weapon. "Boss! Look at that sword! It's a…a….a..a….a…" the cockroach had difficulties in saying anything, given how hyperactive he was.

"What you mean, Digit? Ain't no way I'm backing off this one!" Warren said before directing his deviousness towards Xion. "So, you wanna take on me, eh? Hah! Let's see how well you stand against my elite bodyguards!" he exclaimed before snapping his fingers.

Xion stood still and watched as several shadowy figures emerged out of the corners of the sewers. They looked like rats. The young girl became cautious, seeing as she recognized what those creatures were.

"I don't believe it! Those are Heartless!" she stammered before looking at the small cat with his snickering expression. "How is he able to control such shadowy creatures?" Xion then wondered before noticing how the Heartless were turning their aggressiveness towards her.

The greedy cat laughed in what he was seeing. "Scared yet, girly? Well, the fun's only starting!" he said before giving command to his "bodyguards". "Heartless bodyguards! Teach this meddling punk a lesson in pain!" he gave the order.

Xion was then forced to deal with these Heartless. She had taken notice of how those dark creatures were intending on taking her down at the same time. But the Keyblade-wielder smirked, seeing as how easy those Heartless would be defeated.

Pulling out her Keyblade, Xion defeated her foes, one by one. Warren was astonished, yet he was also fearful when Xion directed her attention towards him.

"Looks like your "bodyguards" are finished. It's only you left!" Xion told him.

The cat was filled with fear. "What!? Ain't no way that my bodyguards would be bested by some girl carrying a big key…" Warren snapped in shock, as he started to know what her weapon was. "Wait…..that girl's holding a Keyblade!" Warren stammered.

"S-see!? I told you so!" Digit said, feeling very paranoid.

"T-this ain't over! I'll get you for this!" Warren said before running away. He and his sidekick climbed up to a nearby pipe to flee from Xion.

With that taken care off, Xion walked over to the cage where the three mice were captured. All of them looked rather suspicious towards the young girl, yet she made sure to not appear frightening. Using her Keyblade, Xion freed the mice. They all looked up to her in surprise.

"Don't worry. You three are safe now" Xion said while lowering herself to her knees. She smiled at them in a sweet manner. "None of you are hurt, are you?" she asked them.

Two of them simply shook their heads as a no. But the smallest mouse approached Xion, already having enough courage to speak.

"Thank you…" he said, only to see the young girl lower her hands for him. The young mouse smiled, as he knew that she wished to hold him up so that they could see each other. "Thank you for saving me and my friends. We almost thought Warren T. Cat would eat us or take us to jail" the young mouse then expressed his gratitude once again.

Xion's smile never vanished. "Don't worry. Whenever someone is lost, I will always be willing to help him or her. I couldn't stand by and let that cat toy with you as he pleased" the black-haired girl told him.

The mouse seemed to be pretty more comfortable with Xion, so he introduced himself. "My name is Fievel Mousekewitz" he introduced himself.

"Fievel. That's a wonderful name you have there" Xion remarked.

"Hey, don't forget about us!" it came from the mouse with the black hair and brown hat. He and the other one with the curly hair had somehow grown comfortable with Xion. "The name's Tony Toponi. And don't you forget it. Capiche?" he asked in a brash manner, only to be calmed down by the other mouse.

"Don't listen to me boyfriend. He always acts tough when he wants to" she told Xion before introducing herself in a ladylike fashion. "Me name's Bridget. A pleasure in meeting you" she said.

Xion felt somewhat happy to meeting such fascinating creatures. Sure, they were talking mice, yet there was something she couldn't help but to feel satisfied about.

"It's very nice to meet all of you. My name is Xion" she told the three mice. She noticed both Tony and Bridged climbing up to her knees, as they had started to feel safe with her. "If I may ask, why was that cat holding you as captives?" the Keyblade-wielder told them.

Being asked about this made Fievel cry, and Xion could see the sadness on the young mouse's face. She wanted to know what made him feel that way.

"I was looking for my family…..they've been captured and are now being forced to work as slaves in the Forge Fortress" Fievel said between his sobbing. "My mama, my papa, my sisters and my friend Tiger, they're all being held there underground" he continued.

Seeing the sadness in Fievel reminded Xion about herself once. With her fingers, she lightly stroked the mouse's head, attempting to comfort him as possible.

"That filthy scoundrel Warren T. Cat is one of the many slave traders here in Nocturnal Reserve. He's got money, power and influence, all thanks to this stupid government led by Vayne Carudas Solidor" Tony expressed his misgivings about the situation.

"Aye. That cat has always been on the winning side…..until you came" Bridget spoke while looking up at Xion.

For Xion, it seemed that whatever place she had arrived at, there was injustice and darkness everywhere. The appearances of Heartless in these sewers only seemed to confirm that notion.

"Well, I don't know where I have arrived at. But I will help you in freeing your family, Fievel" Xion revealed to him.

The little mouse stopped crying and looked up at her with eyes that were hopeful, despite its tears. "Really?" he asked her.

She nodded at him. "Of course. Nobody deserves to be separated from those you really care about" the young girl told him, only to get more personal as she remembered her relationship with Roxas and Lea. "I myself know what it feels like to be separated. You will find your family, Fievel. I will make sure you do that" Xion assured him.

Wiping out his tears, Fievel climbed up to Xion's right arm, hugging it tightly. This was how a small mouse was showing some affection towards a human that was taller than him. Still, Xion didn't seem to mind. She greatly appreciated it.

"I happen to know just the guy you should meet. He knows a lot about Nocturnal Reserve and everything that's corrupted. Me, Bridget and Filly will show you the way" Tony told her, strangly addressing Fievel by another name

Xion was amused, yet she knew she could trust them. From what she could understand, these mice seemed to know this Nocturnal Reserve better than she did.

"Very well. Lead the way then" she said while Fievel sat on her left shoulder.

* * *

_Inside the caste called the Alahenena, the Forgotten Realms_

In what appeared to be a highly-technological throne room, Susquehana, the Drej Queen sat on it while surveying three of her loyal followers: Rasputin, Borf and Mordroc. She seemed less than pleased, given that Sora had managed to escape from the Alahenena.

"So, the Key Bearer managed to escape my grasp" the alien queen spoke, directing her killing expression upon her subordinates. "And you failed to stop him!" she added.

All three got down on their knees, begging for mercy. "Your Majesty! It wasn't our fault! That little pipsqueak had transformed himself into a monster. He managed to defeat some of our defenses before he jumped down" Borf came up with a defense.

"But you let him go, did you not?" Susquehana's question stung him like an arrow.

"But it wasn't my fault! I thought that brat would've died in that fall and…." Borf suddenly got a shock when one of the alien queen's tendrils grabbed him by his throat, thus chocking him.

Both Rasputin and Mordroc froze as they watched Borf getting lifted up by the tendril.

"Do you question my confidence in you, Commander Borf?" Susquehana asked him.

"NO! NO, I DON'T!" the bulky alien's voice was so squeaky by the tendril's grab on his throat. At first, he was afraid he would die. But the alien queen eventually let go of him, allowing Borf to catch his breath.

Susquehana rose up from her throne and took several steps towards her subordinates. "I was under the assumption that you three would valuable assets to my quest. But now, I am beginning to have second doubts. All of you have proven…..unreliable" she told them.

"Please! Give us a chance! We will capture that boy and bring him back to you!" Rasputin begged for her favor. "My sources inside Nocturnal Reserve tells me that he has been captured by some greedy slave trader. He is now being held up at the Forge Fortress as we speak" the corrupted preacher continued with the begging.

While this didn't please her in the slightest, Susquehana had to admit she found it very tempting to send her most useless followers for this mission. That would perhaps enable her to pursue some other goals.

"Hmmm….very well. There is something you can do to prove your usefulness. You say that he is locked up in Forge Fortress, you say?" Susquehana said, a smirk creeping on her lips. "Then you three are chosen for the job. Take what you can and get to that prison. Bring the Key Bearer back, dead or alive" she commanded them.

Seeing as how they were given another chance of survival, the three minions expressed their delightfulness before taking their leave. Some Drej were seen escorting her out. However, Susquehana seemed to have a reason for dismissing Rasputin, Mordroc and Borf. She was now having other plans set in motion.

"I suppose you wonder why I called you all here" the alien queen said as she faced a group of fighters that emerged out of the shadows. "It has already begun. That fool Nicodemus and his owl friend have summoned other Key Bearers to the Forgotten Realms. And among them are those who are the true key to opening the Kingdom Hearts. Oh yes, the Five Keyblade Princesses" Susquehana revealed to them.

"Hmm…..so I take it you want our help in capturing those girls?" a cold voice could be heard from the shadows. "It shouldn't be a problem for us. However, we still can't outwrite Cloud Strife and the resistance movement in Nocturnal Reserve" it added with contempt.

"Oh, but that only makes this fight more fun, doesn't it? The stronger fighters there are, the more fun it is to destroy them" a light hearted yet sadistic voice could be heard.

"I don't care about whether it's fun or not! The only thing that matters is that I get to kill some weaklings for the joy of it!" a female voice could be heard.

One by one, those figures emerged out of the shadows. They had somehow been "convinced" by the Drej Queen to become her allies. The alien queen smirked as she watched them stand there.

"I bid you all welcome to the Alahenena…Sephiroth, Kezka Palazzo, Garland, Golbeza, Exdeath, Ultimecia, Kuja, Jecht, Cain Highwind, Ramza Beoulve and Ace. Your reputation across the universe precedes you" the Drej Queen expressed her admiration of those people.

"The same goes for you, Destroyer of Worlds" Sephiroth bluntly said.

Susquehana was amused by this, yet she decided to get more serious. "Now then. Let us talk the goal we share together: finding and opening the Kingdom Hearts. We will succeed where Xehanort nor the foolish fairy Maleficent failed. And rest assured, all life will be annihilated" the alien queen informed her allies.

_To be continued….._


	4. Lords of Discontent

**LORDS OF DISCONTENT**

* * *

_Inside the Forge Fortress, the Forgotten Realms_

This fortress functioned as a prison in Nocturnal Reserve. It was where all opponents of the government were kept locked up. However, this also included innocents, those who were in no position to harm anyone. Still, it enabled corruption to be practiced behind those very walls. In the Forge Fortress, there was a slave trade happening, under the supervision of the warden.

Right now, two men were walking through the hallway while being accompanied by prison guards. One of them appeared to be affiliated with the government while the other was the warden and jailor of this place. The warden was a man who wore a silver mask to conceal his face.

"So glad you could come with me to this auction, Councilor Cid Raines. I trust that the Clover Council have their businesses going smoothly at the palace" the warden told the man while addressing him by his name.

Cid smiled. "Please, there is no need to address me so formally. You and I are good friends after all, Warden Gilgamesh" he remarked while addressing the warden by his name. "And as for your other statement, things are working perfectly over at the Palace of Babel. My fellow councilors did not have the opportunity to come, so they wanted me to participate in the auction in their stead" the elegant dressed man informed him.

"I see. Well, this auction promises to be interesting. I just hope those greedy slave traders can get their act together and bring me more victims for me to cut down" Gilgamesh said.

"Fear not, old friend. For now, appeasing these moneygrubbers is in our interest. With it, our hold upon Nocturnal Reserve is guaranteed" Cid encouraged him.

They soon entered came before a large door which were opened to them by two guards. Inside, there was a long table of several strange creatures sitting there while smoking, drinking or even playing with their money. Needless to say, these were the "slave masters" that were known to buy prisoners and make them slaves.

As Gilgamesh and Cid stepped into the hall, all the slave masters turned their attentions to them.

"Welcome, crime lords and slave masters! To make this auction more interesting, we have been privileged to be joined by an esteemed member of the Clover Council: Cid Raines" Gilgamesh introduced him for the crowd.

A cold, yet calm expression could be read across the councilor's face. "And just who are these people? I am not good in remembering their names. Care to explain to me who you are?" he wanted to know their names.

The cat with the red jacket spoke up first. "Warren T. Cat at your service, sir" he said.

"You can call me Pinky" the overweight fox dressed like a golfer said.

"The name's Carface Carruthers" the bulldog smoking a cigar said.

"I am Jenner" the devious-looking rat with the black cape said.

"You may refer to me as the mighty Drake!" the muscular penguin boasted pridefully.

"Berkley Beetle's my name! Business's my game!" the hyperactive beetle

"And I'm Gnorga! The nastiest of all!" the ugly troll and only "slave mistress" exclaimed, taking pride in her hideous appearance.

Still, Cid was unfazed at meeting these criminals. "I see. So these are the local crime lords that have decided to become our ally? Not to shabby" he remarked before turning his attention to the warden. "But bear in mind, the Clover Council are not allowing this nonsense so that you can have fun. We demand something in return" the calm-mannered man reminded the slave traders.

"Of course, esteemed councilor. We understand" Jenner was the only one to sound very formal compared to his peers.

"Moving on" Gilgamesh got everyone's attention by slamming his long sword onto the hard floor. "This auction contains certain prisoners that we would like to take a look at. There is a reason for why Cid Raines have decided to come here" he revealed.

"The Clover Council suspects that some of those prisoners could be the infamous Key Bearer himself" he revealed.

The majority of the criminals were astounded by this, yet Cat seemed quite uncomfortable for some reason. He had reason to do so.

"Now then! Bring out the prisoners! Let the auction commence!" Gilgamesh commanded the guards.

One by one, prisoners were escorted out on what appeared to be a scene. They were all chained, and the guards made sure that they would not escape. Such reckless action would only result in death.

Among those prisoners were Sora. The young boy could only face down as he was being stationed for some greedy moneygrubbers to look at. But he was not alone. Sora took the opportunity to look at the other prisoners who had been placed on this "auction".

There was an attractive blonde-haired woman who wore a black dress and shoes. In some ways, she resembled a princess. Besides her stood a rockerhopper penguin with a purple scarf around him. He looked quite grumpy. Next to him stood a young satyr with brown-furred legs and a headband around his horns. Those horns weren't nearly as impressive as most satyrs had. Next to the satyr stood a fat orange-furred cat wearing a purple t-shirt. All of them had been chosen to be sold at this auction.

"Hey! I remember that kid! What's he doing here?" Sora snapped as Pinky was pointing a finger at him. The fat fox somehow directed his angry gaze upon the warden. "Hey! After I sell him to you for a price, you suddenly wanna make him a slave! You tricked me! So I want a refund!" Pinky stood up, feeling conned.

But once the masked man directed his gaze upon him, Pinky felt a chill running down his spine. So far, Gilgamesh had not directed his weapon towards the fox.

"You are more than welcome in acquiring that boy, Pinky. But do so without accusing me of conning someone. False accusations are something I really cannot stand" the warden sternly told him.

Feeling sweaty, Pinky immediately withdrew himself, not paying attention to Gilgamesh. He made sure he was stuck glancing at the money on the table.

"Right! Silly me! I just wanna have someone to play golf with! That's what!" Pinky said, yet none of his fellow criminals took him seriously.

"What a terrific collection you got there!" Berkley was as enthusiastic as he was eccentric. He turned his attention towards the woman dressed in black. "I've got dibs on that fine babe over there! 1000!" he told Gilgamesh while showing the warden his money.

Gilgamesh proceeded to order the guards to being that woman forward. She was reluctantly forced down to her knees. The look of the expression on her face could only tell how miserable she was.

"This is Daphne. A former princess who ended up becoming a poor damsel in distress" Gilgamesh explained before looking at the group of criminals. "She would do well as a scullery maid" the warden continued.

"Bah! That woman is too kind and too pretty for me to handle! I have no interest in buying her!" Gnorga immediately shot down any suggestion of buying Daphne.

Berkley beamed with confidence. "Aha! Then that leaves her all to me! You're gonna make my staff proud, toots!" the beetle expressed his desire, only to be interrupted by Drake.

"Not so fast, insect!" the muscular penguin said before holding up his bag of gold. "That woman is coming with me! She will make a nice addition to my harem along with Marina! I'll take her for 4000!" he chuckled before glancing at the attractive woman.

But the beetle was far from intimidated. "Oh yeah!? Then I say 8000 for that chick! Try beating me to it, smartguy!" Berkley raised his wager.

Drake responded by laughing off at his bets. "Is that all you can muster? Then I'll say 10000! That leaves her all to me!" he was feeling so high and mighty of himself.

"In your wildest dreams, birdbrain! I'll take that woman for 11000!" Carface spat as he showed him his own bag of gold. They were many. "That chick's coming home with me, along with that girl I want! Now where is Anne-Marie!?" the bulldog demanded from the warden.

The masked man directed his attention towards Carface. "She will not be out on auction today, Carface Carruthers. You will just have to wait" he told the bulldog.

But Carface was not satisfied with the answer. "Who do you think you're talking to!? I've got an army of Heartless-mercenaries just waiting to kill someone!" he tried to extort the warden, but it was futile.

Gilgamesh swung his blade at the table, the tip of it almost reaching Carface himself. However, the cigar in his mouth was cut in half. That made the criminal shiver in fear.

"Nobody commands me in this prison! Here, my rules are the law!" the masked man pointed out, wanting to make sure that all the other criminals were listening. "And as for this ridiculous auction, I could care less about who you want as slaves. My only interest is to find the Key Bearer and slay him! That will deprive the Rain Lily Resistance of a valuable asset!" he suddenly revealed.

"Yes. The Clover Council has a desire to capture two men: Cloud Strife and Squall Leonhart" Cid suddenly joined in.

It was at this moment Sora knew he was in danger. Had Gilgamesh and this Clover Council somewhat suspected him of being the Key Bearer? While it was true, Sora could no longer call upon his Keyblade for some strange reason. Still, he had hoped that he wouldn't be recognized, given that he was friends with those two men.

"Cloud…..and he's talking about Leon….they're here too?" Sora recalled the last time he had met those two swordsmen in Radiant Garden. The teenage boy was surprised to know how they were leading this Rain Lilly Resistance in a place such as Nocturnal Reserve. Either way, there remained a lot of questions that he had yet to find the answers to.

"That being said, I seriously doubt that this woman could possibly be the Key Bearer" Gilgamesh said, ordering his guards to remove Daphne. He then looked at the other prisoners that had been gathered on the stage. "I am certain there are someone more qualified for that title" the warden summarized.

Cat felt himself shaking with fear, and it was not due to Digit being at his side. The criminal couldn't help but to swallow a gulp. And unfortunately, that caught the attention of Cid.

"Is there something you wish to say, Warren T. Cat?" the councilor faced him with a suspicious expression.

Warren snapped, sweating intensively as all eyes were on him. "I…..uuuh….well, I had a few run-ins at the sewers before I came here….that's why I'm feelin' a little bit…shaky" the brown-furred cat revealed, yet he could see none of his peers were convinced.

"And what do you mean by "run-ins"? Care to be more specific?" Gilgamesh sternly asked.

The lousy criminal felt himself getting pushed on, yet he decided to answer them. "It's nothin'…I had just caught a few mice and was lookin' forward to bring them here for some cash…..but then something happened…..and I lost those mice" Warren answered, partially telling them the truth.

"And why did you exactly capture those mice?" Cid pressed on.

That's when Digit suddenly popped up and began spilling everything out. "We w-wanted to know the whereabouts of Nicodemus! Then suddenly some girl with a K-Keyblade appeared and took out all of o-our Heartless!" the hyperactive cockroach told them.

There were gasps amongst the criminals, but both Gilgamesh and Cid showed very much interest in what they heard. And it wasn't just them. Sora was stunned to hear that another Keyblade-wielder was in the same world as him. He listened closely, careful not to draw much attention from the warden.

"You encountered a Key Bearer, in the sewers!?" Gilgamesh roared, grabbing the small cat by his throat before lifting him up. "Where did that girl go!?" he demanded.

"I….I d-don't know, sir! She just appeared in the sewers out of nowhere and as I summoned my Heartless-bodyguards, that girl took them out! B-but I swear, I was trying to capture here, but she w-was too strong and…" Warren was getting chocked by the warden's firm grip.

"And you ran away…...THUS LETTING HER ESCAPE!" Gilgamesh angrily threw Warren into the stony wall, rendering him with stars circling around his head.

Digit felt himself freeze, yet the cockroach was being looked at by Cid.

"What did this Key Bearer look like?" Cid bluntly asked him.

"Oh, she looked quite p-pretty! Yes, yes! She was a young girl with black hair and blue eyes…..her clothes….looked very casual….." Digit spoke through his hyperactive tendencies.

The councilor seemed awfully curious. "A young girl with black hair. Hmm, this looks like a Key Bearer we've never even heard off…." He remarked.

But for Sora, this revelation was a shocker. He knew who that person was. "It has to be. There's no way….Xion" he thought about the girl he knew, careful not to draw attention from either Cid or Gilgamesh.

In fact, the warden ordered his guards to grab Sora and the other prisoners. "Then we have finally discovered who the Key Bearer is! This auction is hereby postponed. Throw these scoundrels back to their cells. And make sure they are separated!" Gilgamesh commanded them.

"Hey! I told you that I was interested in buying that broad! You can't just…." Berkley voiced his protest, only to be met with cold glared by Gilgamesh and Cid. The beetle quickly reversed his opposition. "Relax! I was only being sarcastic! No need for all those nasty glares!" he assured them.

None of the criminals dared speak against the postponing of the auction. They'd rather much prefer to stay alive than getting sliced off in half by the warden. And thus, they all left the hall, leaving Cid with Gilgamesh alone. They still had some business to talk about.

"I best return to the Palace of Babel and inform the Vayne and the rest of the Clover Council about this event. In the meantime, I want you to keep running operations here in Forge Fortress" Cid told the warden, only to look at the direction Sora and the other prisoners had gone. "I fear that there is something awfully suspicious with those prisoners, especially that boy" he referred to Sora.

Gilgamesh couldn't help but to laugh. "You cannot possibly be serious. Have you felt that boy's power? It's weak! At this rate, he's nothing but a lamb to be slaughtered" the warden told him.

"Perhaps so. But I would be careful not to judge a book by its cover, Gilgamesh" the councilor advised him. "Somehow, I sense a great darkness residing within him, one that is begging to be let out and rain destruction upon everything in its way. Please take caution" Cid added before taking his leave.

"As you command, councilor" Gilgamesh saluted before returning to his own quarters.

As Sora was being brought back into the dungeons, he could only think about the situation Xion was in. But there was something else that kept him curious.

"So, if Xion is here…..does that mean Riku, Kairi, Roxas and the others are here as well?" Sora thought, starting to feel somewhat worried for them. "Damn it. My friends are out risking their lives while I'm still unable to call upon my Keyblade! What is it with me!?" he wondered, unable to fathom how he had grown so weak.

At this rate, Sora did not know what fate awaited him in this unfamiliar world he had not even begun to explore.

* * *

_Somewhere among snowy mountains, the Forgotten Realms_

Aqua and Ventus found themselves an arctic environment. Looking from their standpoint, they had a wonderful view of a city with high-rise buildings that was separated from mountains, seas, jungles and forests with a large wall. None of the Keyblade-wielders had seen anything like this. But first, they had to contend with the fact where they were.

"This world…I can't say we've been here before" Ven said as he looked around.

"I agree" Aqua noted, only to realize something. "But not only that…where are all the others? Terra, Riku…they're all gone" the bluenette noted while feeling the cold.

Ven could see the sad expression on his friend's face and moved closer to her. "Don't worry, Aqua. Considering how big this world this, they must've been sent here too, albeit in different locations" the young boy said before noticing how high they really were. "These mountains sure are high. Is it even possible for us to get down from here?" Ven wondered.

"That's a good question. But first, let's think about the reason why we ended up in this desolate place" Aqua said, recalling to their time on the Destiny Islands. "We were all on the Destiny Islands, swearing each other to go and find Sora. Yet somehow, we ended up in this world against our own will" she remembered while slowly walking along the snowy cliffside.

"That's right. We were" Ven agreed, only for him to have a feeling in his gut. "Wait! You think Sora could be here too!?" he asked her.

Hearing this made Aqua giggle, finding it amusing to hear her friend say that. "I really hope so. If not, then this unexpected transport has been for nothing" she said, only to focus on the harsh environment they had arrived in. "But first things first. We still have no idea where we were, let alone the name of this place" she remarked while feeling the cold winds blowing at her.

Ven felt the same thing. "It's freezing here! And we just had to be transported to something so cold with these clothes!" he complained while watching the heat he breathed out. "We gotta find a cave or something to warm ourselves! This is too much!" he suggested.

"Then we best follow the cliffside until we see something that can take us down. I say we get away from these mountains and head down to that city" Aqua told him.

Both Ven and Aqua walked along the snowy cliffside. Around the corner, they noticed what appeared to be a vale filled with trees and snow, in addition to rocky walls. The two friends knew that this place had to be where they would get lo lower ground. As they stood in the middle, neither of them had any clue of which way to go.

"Well, any ideas, Ven?" Aqua asked him.

"Nope. I'm just as confused as you are" he replied, only to struggle seeing due to the snow. "I swear, this damn weather makes it difficult for us to see clearly" he noted.

"I agree. Maybe we could use our Keyblades too…" Aqua stopped speaking when she could hear something.

The two friends ceased any noise they made to get a clear hearing of what the noise was besides the winds. So far, they hadn't seen a soul. They were only ones to be here. But all that changed when Ven could noticed something sneaking upon them, or more specifically Aqua.

"AQUA, BEHIND YOU!" Ven shouted.

With tough luck, the bluenette managed to avoid getting attacked by what appeared to be a yeti-like creature. It had white fur, yet its face, claws and jaws were completely black. This creature also had large horns, in addition to golden eyes.

"What is that thing!?" Ven asked, having never seen a monster such as this.

Aqua seemed to have an answer. "No. It can't be….." she said as he noticed the creature's features. "Ven….this thing's no ordinary monster…." Aqua warily said.

"You're right…..I see it now….that thing's a Heartless!" Ven was in disbelief, watching as the yeti-like monster started approaching them while roaring. "But I've never seen anything like that!" he added.

When the two friends started taking out their Keyblades, the Heartless started to become more aggressive. In fact, it tried to slam them both with its powerful fists, only for Ven and Aqua to jump backwards in order to avoid the impact.

"It sure got more aggressive after seeing our Keyblades! That obviously makes it a Heartless" Aqua said while brandishing her Keyblade: Rainfell.

Ven responded by holding up his Keyblade called Wayward Wind. "We both know what to do then. Let's take him together!" he said.

"Right!" Aqua responded.

The two friends were ready to battle this yeti-like Heartless. But as it started to approach them, both Ven and Aqua were awestruck by something that appeared beneath them all. It didn't take long before the Heartless itself got a clue of what it was.

Someone had risen up from the snowy ground they all had been standing on. Needles to say, this creature had been sleeping beneath the snowy ground. And the confrontation between the Keybladie-wielders and the Heartless had somewhat awakened.

Both Aqua and Ven watched in astonishment to see what it was that had awakened.

It was a giant with blue skin, white beard and a crown on its head. Obviously, it was a male. Still, the ice giant stomped upon the Heartless, thus killing it. Both Aqua and Ven watched in awe, seeing as the giant's feet managed to crush the creature singlehandedly. But once it looked down upon them, the Keyblade-wielders felt they could be next. Such sentiment was confirmed, given how he directed his angry wrath upon them.

"Run!" Aqua called out, yet she was already captured by the giant. "Run, Vent!" she tried to call out to her friend.

Ven tried moving, but the snow made it impossible for him. The giant, given his incredible size, had no problems walking on it. Therefore, Ven was also captured by the giant.

The two friends felt powerless, given that the big creature was now facing at them with an angry expression. Neither of them had any clue of what it was, but it certainly didn't look like a Heartless. As Ven and Aqua struggled to move through its fingers, the giant spoke.

"LITTLE HEARTLESS!" the giant spoke with a deep male voice while growling in the process. "YOU DARE DISTURB MY REST!?" he demanded.

Neither Aqua nor Ven had any words to say. They were stunned by how this giant could even talk. They were almost rendered speechless.

"The giant is talking, Aqua. It's actually talking!" Ven uttered out.

Unfortunately, the creature did not seem to appreciate his words. "GIANT!? I AM NO GIANT!" the creature roared, sending cold winds through his mouth. "I AM…AN ICE TROLL" he suddenly spoke, his deep voice less angry than before.

"An ice troll…" Ven said, feeling a little astonished. "I've…..never heard of those before" he then remarked.

"Don't talk to it, Ven. Don't encourage it" Aqua told her friend, noticing how the ice troll was beginning to walk with them in his hands. "We're moving. But where's he taking us?" she felt very concerned about this sate they were in.

The ice giant, still feeling antagonistic towards them, surprisingly spoke to Ven and Aqua, once again with no anger. "NORTHWIND SOME MAY CALL ME…" he suddenly introduced himself.

Both Keyblade-wielders were stunned, yet Ven couldn't contain his admiration. "Your name is Northwind…...that's quite a name" he remarked.

"Ven…." Aqua scolded her friend through gritted teeth.

"What? I was complimenting him" Ven assured her. He looked up to see North Wind, who was not smiling at all. Obviously, he wasn't impressed with his attempts to gain his favor. "So, you live here in these mountains?" he asked the ice troll.

"YES. AS DOES ANYONE WISHING TO LIVE IN FREEDOM AND AWAY FROM ALL HARM. THEREFORE, WE DO NOT TOLERATE THE PRESENCE OF HEARTLESS LIKE YOU IN THESE PEACEFUL LANDS!" Northwind responded.

Aqua realized that Northwind still hadn't been able to see their Keyblades. As such, he still regarded them as Heartless, given how they had been standing close to the Heartless.

"We're not Heartless! This is all a misunderstanding!" Aqua told him, forcing the ice troll to look at her. She nodded her head at him. "That's right! We're Keyblade-wielders! That Heartless you took out was about to attack us. We didn't mean to awake you!" she tried to convince him.

For a short minute, Northwind's expression seemed to soften a little. "KEYBLADE-WIELDERS…." Northwind stammered in confusion. But that expression soon turned into outright hostility. "SOUNDS LIKE HEARTLESS-DECEPTION TO ME!" the ice troll growled, not believing her.

Ven and Aqua could feel his grip around them tighten. It pained them a little. This was only a hint of the cold rage taking place within Northwind.

"THEY COME WITH THEIR CORRUPTION! THEY COME WITH THEIR EVIL! TWISTING AND TURNING PEACEFUL HOMES INTO DESOLATE WASTELANDS! THAT IS THE EPIDEMY HEARTLESS BRINGS ALONG THE WAY!" Northwind barked, his stomping on the frozen ground only highlighting his anger.

"You have to believe us! We're not Heartless! We're Keyblade-wielders! Just give us the chance to prove ourselves!" Ven pleaded to him.

"HOLD YOUR TONGUE!" Northwind's voice blew at them like a hurricane. Ven and Aqua could feel their bodies shiver. "YOU MAY BE ENEMIES, OR YOU MAY NOT BE! BUT THAT IS NOT FOR ME TO DECIDE! YOUR FATES WILL BE DECIDED BY THE SNOW FOX HERSELF!" the ice troll revealed, much to the surprises of the two friends.

"The Snow Fox?" Aqua became curious, having never heard of something like that before. "Who's that?" the bluenette asked.

"AH, SHE IS THE WISEST AND FAIREST OF ALL HERE IN THE SHIVERING PEAKS. ONLY SHE HAS THE POWER TO SEE THROUGH EVERY TRUTH YOU CARRY. ONLY AFTER SHE HAS DECIDED, WILL I BEGIN TO TRUST YOU. UNTIL THEN, YOUR LOYALTIES ARE UNCERTAIN" Northwind began speaking so positively about this Snow Fox.

Neither Ven nor Aqua could fathom which place they had arrived at. But all things considered, this Snow Fox did perhaps know the answers they were looking for, maybe also on where to find Sora and the others.

"Alright. Then take us to this Snow Fox" Aqua told Northwind, yet he was already moving on.

The two friends were taken into the deeper reaches of these Shivering Peaks. What more they would discover on this trip, they didn't know.

* * *

_At the market of Nocturnal Reserve, the Forgotten Realms_

The city of Nocturnal Reserve was unique in many ways. It was a city surrounded by a wall, but besides it, many environments existed. To the east, lied the Forbidden Jungle, to the west, lied the Thorny Maze, to the south lied water and to the north, lied the Shivering Peaks. Needless to say, this city was surrounded by an astonishing climate.

Hayner, Olette and Pence were wandering through the busy markets of this unfamiliar town as they passed by strange people. So far, the three friends had been awed by the impressiveness of this town, let alone what they saw.

"Man!" Pence exclaimed as he looked around. "Can you believe this place? It's bigger than Twilight Town!" he went on expressing his admiration. The chubby boy continued to look around in an awfully curious manner.

Hayner shook his head at him in slight disbelief. "Quit acting like that. You look like a tourist" he scolded him.

This made Olette look at him with a cheeky grin. "But we ARE basically tourists here, Hayner. And not to mention, we're stranded in a completely different world" the brunette noted before feeling worried about someone. "I hope Kairi, Riku and the others are doing okay" she prayed.

"Eh, don't go all motherly upon them, Olette. Those guys are Keyblade-wielders. I mean, don't you have faith in them? You're one yourself" Hayner pointed out to her.

Olette sighed. "Look, I've barley even mastered the basics. But at least I've improved….unlike some others I could name" she told him in a teasing manner.

"Hey! I've been training as you have!" the blonde-haired boy pointed out.

But his friends weren't buying it. "I'm not so sure, Hayner" Pence said in return. He returned to looking around in the markets. "Boy, these markets sure look like they got a lot to sell here. What do you say we go and take a look at some of the stands?" he then asked his friends.

Both Hayner and Olette looked at him questionably. "Are you serious right now?" Olette asked him.

"Yeah! Come on, I thought shopping was your hobby, Olette" Pence confirmed his seriousness.

"Get real!" Hayner butted in. "We're lost, confused and broke, so we're not doing anything stupid as to go shopping" he told Pence.

"Oh really? Then what's your idea then, Mr. Know-It-All?" the chubby boy questioned him back.

Olette stepped in, feeling that she needed to ease tensions between her friends. "Settle down, guys. We're all tired and don't know where to find help" she said, only to look at what appeared to be an inn. The name of that place was called "The Tappers". An idea suddenly crossed into her mind. "Hey! Why don't we go inside that place? I bet we can find some level of info from those inside" she suggested.

"I'm in!" Pence was immediate filled with so much enthusiasm.

Hayner didn't feel the same. "Whatever. It's not like we've got much of a choice here, anyways" the young boy said.

And so, the three friends entered the inn. Once inside, they were greeted by the sight of so many people. It was an unbelievable sight. For example, they could see a fat satyr pouring onto a mug of beer down his throat. Another sight was a couple of dogs laughing while sharing a drink with one another. There was music in the form of piano and violin being played.

But at the barkeep, a middle-aged man with moustache was seen tapping some beer into a mug. He then proceeded to slide it across the table to a big bear who grabbed the mug and drank everything in it.

"Ah, this looks nice. I bet we could rest here for a while" Pence remarked, smiling by what he was seeing.

"But we're not old enough to drink" Olette pointed out.

"So what?" Hayner told her, about to move to the barkeep.

But they all could hear the voice of a young blonde-haired woman at the corner of the bar. She was dressed in pink t-shirt and by the looks of her white apron, she worked at this inn. Right now, she was being ganged upon by two drunken customers. They were accompanied by a girl at their age. For Hayner and his friends, those three seemed awfully familiar.

"L-let me go! Please!" the young woman said, trying to get one of the men off her.

"Come on, babe! Surely you wouldn't mind bringing me another round, would ya?" the boy said before putting a hand on the woman's left shoulder. "I'm so thirsty and can't help but to drink and drink until I pass out!" he then said, still acting quite silly.

"Yeah, Seifer's a gentleman, y'know!" the other man told her, also starting to act inappropriate with her.

"Nikki!" the bartender called out to the woman franticly. He then turned his attention towards the two unruly customers. "You two! Leave my daughter alone and get out of this inn! You've both drunken enough!" he called out to them.

"Huh?" Seifer said before bursting out into laughing. "You gotta be kidding me! This hot broad here is your daughter? Man, you're too old and ugly have fathered someone like her!" he added with an insult directed towards the bartender.

"You scoundrels better go out before I call upon the city guards!" the bartender hit back with a warning.

The three ruffians laughed off at his threats. "You'll the city guards upon us!? Idiot! We're with the city guards! We can do whatever we want!" Seifer said before directing his attention towards Nikki. "Now, where were we? Oh, that's right! I wanted to…." an angry voice suddenly interrupted her.

"That's far enough!" it was Olette, with her, Pence and Hayner all standing before the ruffians with determined glances. "You better let her go, right now!" the brunette added strictly.

Hayner crossed his arms with what he was seeing. "Would you look at that, guys! Seifer, Rai and Fuu, our least favorite frenemies" he told them

"Ganging upon an innocent woman who's just trying to do her work? You guys have really fallen that low, honestly" Pence expressed his dismay with what he saw.

Seifer then turned his attention towards the three teenagers, whom he recognized from his hometown. "You're kidding me…." he was speechless.

"Hey, Seifer! Those are the punks back from Twilight Town, y'know!" the Rai told him.

"Totally" Fuu agreed, noticed for saying only one word in conversations.

"Shut up! I know who they are!" Seifer berated his friends before turning his attention towards the Twilight Trio. "Well, well. What a coincidence in seeing you three losers here in Nocturnal Reserve. Did you come here for sightseeing, perhaps?" he continued speaking so negatively about them.

"Shove it, Seifer! The only loser we see here is you!" Hayner hit back.

This made Seifer irritated and he immediately reached for his blade. "You punk! Wanna take this outside!?" he threatened him.

"Yeah! We'll be more than happy to beat you all up to pulps, y'know!" Rai joined in, even cracking his knuckles.

"Damn straight" Fuu spoke up, agreeing with her friends' statement.

Hayden looked at the two of his friends, and they both nodded their heads at him in agreement. Obviously, they thought this was a good idea to solve this kafuffle, especially outside the inn.

"That's fine by us! We'll battle you guys outside this inn! Meet us there, we dare you!" Hayner spat at them.

With it, the three bullies started exiting the inn, one by one. But they didn't mind trading insults with the Twilight Trio.

"Then we'll see you on the other side" Seifer said as he passed by them.

"You guys better have dental coverage, because you're gonna need it, y'know!" Rai taunted them as he walked by.

"Pussies" Fuu insulted them before joining her friends.

This left the trio the center of attention, especially by the barkeep and his daughter Nikki. She looked very grateful towards them.

"Thank you for standing up to him" Nikki told them, only for her to frown deeply. "But are you really determined to beat these guys? They're mercenaries for Nocturnal Reserve's guard" she asked them.

Olette formed a smug smile. "Don't worry. We got this!" Olette said before she and her friends pulled out their Keyblades. "Those bullies have gotten away with so many things for too long. It's about time someone taught them a lesson in humility. You guys with me?" the brunette asked her close friends.

"Hell yeah!" Hayner exclaimed. "Oh man, you've no idea how I've longed for this day to happen. Now I'm finally able to get back at Seifer for all the crap he's pulled on me!" the blonde-haired boy felt fired up.

Pence shook his head in slight embarrassment. "Why do I get a bad feeling about this?" he wondered.

The bartender suddenly got before the trio, feeling very brave for some reason. "My name is Sam. And I'm the owner of "The Tappers". Please, beat those bullies up. But don't do anything rash with them. I've already have plenty of things to worry about when it comes to this business" the bartender introduced himself.

Hayner rolled his eyes in return. "Don't worry. We'll go easy on them. But I still wanna give Seifer a piece of my mind and…." Hayne was nudged by Olette. "Relax! I was just joking! Of course, we ain't gonna kill those guys! I mean, they may be bullies, but they're not villains" Hayner said as he and the two exited the bar.

"Then try not to overdo it" Olette reminded him, yet Hayner didn't seem to care.

Given that a duel was about to take outside the inn, plenty of customers had left their seats to observe it. They couldn't afford to miss an opportunity like this. Even Sam and Nikki had joined them.

But not everyone had done the same thing. Two customers, sitting by the edge of a table were still enjoying themselves with some drinks. One man was big and obese who was already eating some food. The other one was middle-aged and muscular. He was already enjoying a bottle of beer.

"Well, Vlad. What do you think?" the middle-aged man asked the obese one.

"There is no mistaking it! Those were all Key Bearers! It looks like the prophecy we were given by Nicodemus is correct!" the man named Vlad said. "It's best if we let them know!" he then reminded him.

"Already on it" the middle-aged man said before tapping on what appeared to be a communications device or something. "Hey, Leonhart. Korso here. We just spotted three of the Key Bearers you said would come here in The Tapper. You want us to take them to HQ?" he asked, being in contact with Leon himself.

_To be continued….._


	5. The World of Forgotten Heroes

**THE WORLD OF FORGOTTEN HEROES**

* * *

_Somewhere at the docks of Nocturnal Reserve, the Forgotten Realms_

Having been transported into this unknown world, Terra was now walking by the docks of Nocturnal Reserve. He had no idea where he was, yet he could tell that lots of people lived in this place. The Keyblade-wielder couldn't help but to wonder where his other friends had been transported into.

"This is great! Ven and Aqua are gone from my sight once again" Terra cursed, yet something sprung into his mind. "But an important question is whether they along with Riku and the others are in this world as well. And what if Sora is here? No. That's too early for me to conclude" he remarked as he began exploring these busy docks.

From what he witnessed, there were people working on ships, while others were transporting cargos through the help of some dinosaurs. Bottom line, he had arrived at an unknown place. And there seemed to be quite the tradespeople in this unfamiliar town.

He managed to notice an old and grouchy lady supervise two children with pushing a wagon that was loaded with fish. When some of the fish got offboard the wagon as the result of a hole on the ground, the woman became furious.

"Hey! Rosie! Gus! Watch with how you move the wagon, you idiots! Don't lose any of the fish! We need those for the orphanage!" she rudely berated the children.

"Yes, Comrade Phlegmenkoff!" the children replied in unison.

Obviously, these children Pheglmenkoff was bossing around were all orphans. And he appeared to be their orphan matron. Still, her rude behavior astounded Terra, who had never seen a grown act like that towards children.

Moving on, Terra spotted a place and it seemed to be a blacksmith. The one who appeared to own that place was a giant ogre-like monster. Feeling like he could perhaps give him some answers, Terra decided to ask him.

"Excuse me, sir" Terra got the ogre's attention. From the looks of things, he seemed very mean and cranky. "Can you tell me what this place is?" he asked him.

Instead of speaking properly, the ogre started to garble in gibberish. Yet Terra couldn't understand a word he said. Once the blacksmith stopped opening his mouth, Terra decided to try again.

"Umm….you please repeat that?" he "politely" asked the ogre.

Feeling irritated, the ogre started rambling himself in gibberish once again. At this rate, Terra felt there was miscommunication happening between them. He even felt the need to open his mouth, only for someone to interrupted their conversation.

"He's telling you like this: Are you stupid? This is Nocturnal Reserve! How can you not know about this place?" a male voice suddenly came from behind.

Turning around, Terra could see a young blonde-haired man standing there with a laidback expression. He looked quite easygoing, which made Terra remind him about Lea, or even Ven for that matter.

"Wait. You can understand what he's saying?" Terra asked, feeling awfully stunned.

"Yup. And Oble's right. This is Nocturnal Reserve: the city with both opportunists and refugees" the young man told him, only to look at the blacksmith named Oble. "I'll take care of him for now, Oble. You keep doing what you gotta do" he told him before leading Terra away.

In response, the ogre grumbled, mumbling some gibberish words which seemed to be directed towards Terra. The Keyblade-wielder couldn't help but to wonder what he meant.

"What's he saying now?" he asked the stranger beside him.

"Umm…..something that you shouldn't take kindly to. Let's just leave Oble alone. He's a too much of a grouch to speak with. No wonder he's got no friends" the blonde-haired man told Terra before reaching out a hand to him. "You don't look like you're from around here. What's your name?" he asked.

Terra shook hands with him without hesitation. "My name is Terra. For some reason, I ended up getting transported here against my own free will" the Keyblade-wielder introduced himself.

"Oh really? Well, I'm not from around here either. So I know where you're coming from. The name's Cale Tucker" the blonde-haired man said his name.

Terra, who had barley just met this young man, still felt like he needed someone to tell him more about this Nocturnal Reserve.

"Say. You said you're not from this place as well. How did you end up here?" Terra asked him.

As Cale was asked that question, he couldn't help but to frown deeply. Terra, feeling that he had said something wrong, immediately regretted his words.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to…." Terra apologized, only for Cale to interject him.

"It's okay. You're new here, so I'll let this one slip away. The truth of the matter is….my world no exist" he revealed to him while getting slightly emotional.

Hearing this made Terra astonished. "What?" he couldn't believe his own ears.

"And it isn't just me. Most people here, including Oble, they're all refugees here like myself. What we all share in common is that our worlds were destroyed by some sick, twisted alien queen" Cale explained the grim reality.

"I see. That's terrible….." Terra stammered, unable to fathom the kind of loss Cale and others were in.

"Nocturnal Reserve lies in the Forgotten Realms, a place that is supposed to be a refuge for those who have lost their homes. Tch, refuge my butt. We live under harsh conditions thanks to that stupid Clover Council lead by Vayne Carudas Solidor. And thanks to him, crime and corruption run rampant, which means people like me are often captured and traded like slaves" the blonde-haired man then revealed.

The more Terra heard this, the more cautious he became. He wondered what kind of world he had arrived it. But it was clear from what Cale told him. This was a world with injustice and inequality. As such, Terra felt like asking Cale this very particular question.

"This may sound very unrealistic to you, but is there any way that I can help?" Terra bluntly asked him.

Cale watched the Keyblade-wielder with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?" he wondered.

Before Terra could respond, a bark could be heard coming before them. Looking down, they saw a small grey-furred puppy with long ears look up to the two men. However, Cale immediately leaned down to pet it.

"Hey there, Pooka. What's the rush?" Cale asked him, only to see the little puppy turn around and run towards a crowd of people had were standing around someone. "Argh! Not again! Why do you always have to be in trouble, Anya!?" he expressed his irritation before running into the crowd.

Terra, feeling curious to what was going on behind that crowd, followed Cale. They squeezed themselves through to make it to the front. Once there, they managed to get a clear view of what was going on and why people were gathered in a ring.

Believe it or not, a young red-haired woman dressed in a hat and winter coat was in an altercation with a handsome man with long silver hair and violet eyes. He was accompanied by what appeared to be two members of the city guard. From the looks of it, he was trying to impress her with his charms.

"Come now, Anastasia. Surely you jest" the man spoke in a quite elegant voice. "You would do better working with me at the Canasta Casino. Become my assistant" he tried goading and making advances upon her.

But the woman named Anastasia remained defiant. "You think I'll let myself be reduced to such shame!? Take a hike, Setzer!" she snapped back at him.

Still, this Setzer seemed unfazed at her defiance. "Best not to get too hissy here, princess. After all, I am an esteemed member of the city guard, under the Clover Council's service. What I desire, I will have it" he reminded her.

Terra could see how troubling this looked like, so he decided to ask Cale about this. "Who's that guy?" he asked him.

"That's Setzer Gabbiani. One of the many "favored" members of the city guard. Always consider himself a hotshot because of the power he has, not to mention how all the ladies keep falling for him" Cale explained, yet he seemed quite distressed as he looked at the situation. "But this is really bad. Anya wasn't supposed to wander off on her own! She was with Korso and Vlad just now!" the blonde-haired mane explained while reaching for something in his pockets.

Terra could see that Cale was reaching for what appeared to be a plasma pistol. As he looked at the picture and saw how Setzer had the advantages, Terra made a bold decision.

"Stand back, Cale" the Keyblade-wielder told him while calling upon his weapon, Ends of the Earth. "I'll handle this" Terra added before entering the scene.

Cale was about to open his mouth and protest, yet the sight of Terra's Keyblade made him silent. He stood and watched as Terra entered the fray, ready to actually confront Setzer.

"I don't believe it…that's sword's a….." Cale tried to recall what he had learned. He proceeded to look at Terra. "If that's the case…..then there's no question about it…he's one of the Key Bearers those at HQ told me about….." his thoughts was filled with recollections.

Setzer had crossed the lines by physically grab Anastasia's right hand and dragged her to his side. The young woman was outraged.

"Hey! Let me go!" she angrily tried breaking free from his grip.

Yet Setzer was not responsive. "No. It's time that you finally witnessed what a real man can do for you. And don't worry, I'll treat you as formal as I can, Anastasia Romanova" he "assured" her.

"Let her go" the voice of Terra made everyone focus their attention upon him.

Even Setzer felt the need to look at the young man. "Says who?" he arrogantly asked him.

In response, Terra brandished his Keyblade for him and the two guards to see. He was really determined to fight him.

"Someone who knows how to treat women with respect" Terra bluntly told Setzer, who was irritated by this interference.

"I find your manners lacking" Setzer remarked before giving orders to his subordinates. "Take care of this clown" he commanded them.

The two guards directed their weapons towards Terra, yet he did not seem intimidated by their weapons. Moving his weapon, the managed to take out those guards without breaking a sweat. They were too easy for a Keyblade Master like himself to handle. Once they were on the ground, Terra give them a stark warning.

"Don't bother getting up" he told them before turning his attention towards Setzer. He even pointed his Keyblade at the man. "Now I'm only gonna say this twice, misogynistic fool. Let her go" he warned Setzer.

In anger, Setzer shoved Anastasia aside, making her fall on the ground. However, he had not made a move to attack Terra so far. He kept glaring at the Keyblade Master with contempt.

"I see…..this is perhaps not the time for me to cause a ruckus…." Setzer responded and took his leave, but he did stop to look over his shoulder one last time. "But mark my words. That woman will be mine. And the next time we meet…..I will show you no mercy" those were the last words he said before walking away.

Terra couldn't help but to stand and watch as the man he confronted had decided to walk away from him. He noticed the guards running up to catch on with Setzer. The young man had to wonder why he had not decided to retaliate.

"What's with this man? Did something happen that made him change his mind?" Terra asked himself.

The circle of crowds began dispersing and business returned as normal. Removing his Keyblade, Terra stretched out a hand towards Anastasia. She was still lying upon the rocky ground.

"You need help? Here take my…" Terra was surprised when Anastasia rudely swatted his hand away. Obviously, she didn't take kindly to his offer.

"I'm fine! I can do this on my own!" she hit back as she got up on her feet.

Terra crossed his arms and watched her dispassionately. "Oh, my bad" he sarcastically remarked.

The two were joined up by Cale and Pooka. The little puppy happily stood up to Anastasia, who eventually picked him up to hug him. She even let Pooka lick her face.

"Cut it out, Pooka. That tickles!" she giggled while embracing Pooka.

"Just what in the world were you doing, Anya?" Cale asked, referring to her by a nickname. "You were supposed to be with Korso and Vlad. Why were you skulking around town on your own once again?" the blonde-haired man demanded an answer.

This made Anastasia ticked off, and she dropped Pooka and got into his face. "Shove it, Cale! I don't need anyone to babysit me!" the young woman retorted.

Cale didn't hold back his anger. "Yes, you do! You know that every single corrupt official is interested in becoming your boyfriend! And what would happen if you got caught!?" he pointed out to her.

"Like I need someone like you to tell me what it is! I'm not interested in getting a prince, let alone a whimpering man-child such as yourself!" Anastasia went on the offensive.

In anger, Cale grabbed Anastasia by her scarf, yet she grabbed him by the collar of his red tank top. "You take back what you just said! And I seriously mean it!" he snapped at her.

"Or else what!?" Anastasia hit back.

Terra, recognizing a conflict brewing between them, forcefully pushed Cale and Anastasia away from each other. He barley knew these people, yet he could already tell that they were not the best of friends.

"Settle down! There's no sense in standing here and argue" Terra told them.

This made Cale wanting to introduce Anastasia. "Oh. I'd like you to meet my friend, Anastasia Romanova. Anastasia, this is Terra" he introduced them one another.

"The pleasure's all mine" Anastasia remarked while crossing her arms and looking away.

"Hey! This guy just rescued your sorry hide and this is how you treat him!? Show some gratitude for once, you prima donna!" Cale scolded her.

"It's okay. I can already tell that she's not the friendly type of woman" Terra interjected him. "But now that I've gotten myself dragged into a mess, it would be nice if either one of you would be so kind as to share with me more details. And that includes what kind of people you really are" Terra then told them.

Anastasia was dumbfounded by his words. "What we people are? Well, we're refugees, obviously!" the young woman snapped.

"That's what he meant" Cale told her, forming a smug smile upon his face. "You caught us here. You see, me and Anya here are part of a secret resistance movement against this twisted government here in Nocturnal Reserve. It's called the Rain Lily Resistance" he revealed to Terra.

The Keyblade Master was astonished. "The Rain Lily Resistance…." Terra was curious to know more about them. "Then please, take me to where your resistance is…..I must meet up with….." Terra was interrupted by the voice coming from behind.

"No reason to worry. We're already here" a hooded man carrying a blade approached the trio. He was dressed in a lather jacket and some jeans. The swordsman smiled at Terra once their eyes met. He even removed his hood to show him his face, as well as his brown hair. "We were expecting you, Keyblade Master Terra" he then told him.

Terra was slightly suspicious, yet he didn't reach for his Keyblade. "Who are you? And how do you know about my name and" he asked him.

"My name is Squall Leonhart. But to some of my friends, among them Sora and Riku, I'm commonly known as Leon. I'm one of the co-leaders of the Rain Lily Resistance" he introduced himself.

This made Terra widen in surprise. "You're this Leon? I….I didn't know" he spoke, smiling in the process. "I…...I've only heard about you through what King Mickey and Riku have told me…." he added.

"King Mickey? Riku? What are you talking about?" Cale asked Terra, feeling like he'd never heard about them before.

Leon suddenly stepped in the middle between them. "I'll fill you all in on this once we're back at HQ. Let's get out of here before the city guard shows up. Setzer may have not decided to attack you. But he's probably gone to the Palace of Babel to inform his superiors about your presence" he explained as Terra, Anastasia, Cale and Pooka followed him up some stairways and through the streets.

"We're heading back to HQ? But what about Korso and Vlad?" Cale wondered.

"They'll handle themselves fine, trust me. Right now, we best go before the authorities notice something's amiss" Leon replied to him.

"What is so special about the authorities in this city?" Terra asked Leon.

"You'll know that soon enough. But I can already confirm that some of your other friends are at HQ as we speak. And I'm talking about the one with the cross on his forehead" Leon revealed.

Terra immediately knew who it was. "That's Isa….he's here already…" he was speechless. He started wondering about his other friends. "Then that means Ven, Aqua and the others are in this world as well….that's a relief…..I won't be far apart from them" Terra was relieved.

* * *

_Outside the inn called "The Tapper", Nocturnal Reserve, Forgotten Realms_

Hayner, Pence and Olette were now confronting a rival gang they knew from their hometown. Having seen Seifer, Rai and Fuu bully a waitress named Nikki, the trio from Twilight Town had challenged them all to a fight. They were relatively new Keyblade-wielders, yet they felt like they couldn't stand idle and watch as Seifer and his cohorts kept disrespecting people.

As of now, there were a large audience watching the upcoming duel from the sidelines. That included Nikki and her father Sam, the bartender of the inn. Each of the spectators stood and watched, with some of them cheering for the team they supported. Others were too concerned to be doing such, knowing that this type of activity would attract the attention of Nocturnal Reserve's authorities.

Seifer stepped forward, drawing out a weapon that closely resembled the one Leon carried. His friends followed suit, drawing out their own weapons. Rai wielded what appeared to be a thick bo staff, while Fuu wielded what appeared to be a boomerang. Hayden and his friends got on their defensive, knowing how this fight was bound to get ugly.

"I hope you punks managed to grow some spines while we travelled. Because as city guards, we're known the Nocturnal Reserve Disciplinary Committee! With me, Seifer Almasy, as its leader!" Seifer boasted.

"And we're known to not go easy on all our foes, y'know!" Rai spoke up.

"Totally" Fuu spoke in agreement.

But the Twilight Trio was dumbfounded, even the usually impulsive Hayner. "You gotta be kidding me! The Nocturnal Reserve Disciplinary Committee?" the teenage boy asked before bursting out laughing. He was joined by Pence and Olette, who also seemed to find this hilarious.

"What's so damn funny, you little twerps!?" Seifer demanded an answer.

Hayner stopped laughing, as did his friends. "Isn't that obvious? You guys still refer to yourselves as some disciplinary committee! Do you even realize how lame-ass that sounds?" he asked Seifer directly.

"Honesty, I'd thought you guys had given up on becoming such wannabe vigilantes and started growing up. But I sure was wrong" Olette expressed her dismay.

"Not to mention, you seem to be terrible at your job. As city guards, shouldn't you set a better example for yourselves? Boy, you guys are a huge let-down, Nocturnal Reserve Disciplinary Committee" Pence spoke, not even mincing his words.

These words seemed to offend Seifer and his gang. They couldn't stand being insulted like that.

"You're calling us lame!? That's totally not cool! The Nocturnal Reserve Disciplinary Committee is a kick-ass name, y'know!" Rai exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Fuu spoke up.

But Seifer was having enough of this. "Will you two idiots just shut up!? I say we cut this meaningless chit-chat and start batting for real!" he told them before turning his wrath upon Hayner. "Rai, you take care of fatso! Fuu, you deal with that annoying brainy! Hayner is mine to crush!" he commanded his friends about which opponent they would each have.

Pence and Olette moved away from Hayner, so that he would be facing Seifer alone. The impulsive teenager seemed very angered by the way which Seifer spoke about his friends.

"Calling my friends names!? You're gonna regret saying that, Seifer!" Hayner said before calling his Keyblade to his side. It was colored red and black, the same as his vest and his shoes. "With my blade, Bones and Guts, I'm gonna wipe that smirk off your face!" the blonde-haired boy called out to him.

Seifer shrugged off his threats. "Come and try me, loser!" he hit back before charging towards Hayner.

And thus, the fight was already in full swing. Hayner and Seifer clashed swords, each of them relying upon brute strength to overpower the other. As such, this fight was meet with cheers from the spectators.

Nikki observed the clash with so much worry. "Dad" she spoke to her father, who looked at her confused. "What will happen if those three lose? They're dealing with some of the toughest members of the city guard!" the young woman expressed her worries.

"Don't worry about it, girly. Those kids won't be the ones losing this fight" a voice came from behind and both Nikki and Sam turned to see a middle-aged man wearing a leather jacket. He was observing the ongoing fight with amusement. "No matter how strong they claim to be, we all know that Seifer Almasy and his goons are the lowest in the food chain" he added.

"Mr. Korso…..you're here" Sam was surprised to see this customer going outside. He then noticed the round man appearing besides Korso with some food in his mouth. "And you too, Vlad" the bartender seemed to recognize these people.

"But these youngsters cannot possibly be the only Key Bearers that Leonhart mentioned. He said there was more" Vladimir was speaking with Korso.

"He did. Don't get too paranoid here, Vladdy. We both know that Sophie is more interested in her drinks than she is with you" Korso reminded him.

Vladimir responded with a huff. "I have no idea what you are speaking of. And please, leave Sophie out of this!" he berated him, yet Korso was ignoring him as a whole.

While Hayner was battling Seifer, Olette was dealing with Fuu. Luckily, Fuu seemed have the most disadvantaged weapon of all the foes. Her boomerang was easy for Olette to block with her orange and white Keyblade: Sunset Reborn.

"Impossible!" Fuu snapped as she and Olette moved to counter each other.

The brunette smirked as she dodged the boomerang being thrown at her, yet proceeded to block it once it came back to attack Olette from behind. Needless to say, she rendered Fuu weaponless.

Olette pointed her Keyblade at her opponent. "If you were smart, then you would do the right thing and surrender. So what do you say, Fuu? Do you admit defeat?" give her an ultimatum.

Scowling, Fuu felt herself getting humiliated, given that she was with the city guard. Sighing deeply, the blue-haired teenage girl reluctantly conceded defeat.

"Fine….." she muttered.

In response, Olette giggled at her out of fun. "That's what I wanted to hear. Better luck next time, Fuu!" she told in in a surprisingly friendly manner, which stunned Fuu.

Meanwhile, Pence was having his hands full with Rai and his strong bo staff. The chubby teenager was forced to test his body to his limits by dodging and avoiding getting attacked by this weapon. He was wielding his teal and blue Keyblade: Salty Thirst. This Keyblade was an obvious reference to his love for the sea salt ice cream.

"Man! How this Rai manage to move so quickly with that thing around!?" Pence wondered, yet he had to admit he was foolish for thinking such. "Of course! I mean, Rai is strong and all…..but he's also not the brightest guy I know of. Yeah, he's worse than Hayner" he felt himself feeling funny, until Rai came running towards him like a raging bull.

Luckily for Pence, he avoided getting slammed by Rai's weapon. But the muscular teenage boy was not holding back his anger.

"Argh! Can't you just stand still!? It's freaking irritating of you to dodge my attacks, y'know!" Rai complained, feeling like Pence was not much of a fighter.

The chubby teenager didn't appreciate the bully's words. But on the other hand, Pence knew he could use Rai's dimwittedness to his advantage.

"Really? Well, I'd say that Seifer's not much of a fighter, either. I mean, just look at how he just lost against Hayner?" he pointed out while looking besides Rai.

Rai immediately turned around, given that he was incredibly concerned for his boss. But he could see that Seifer had not yet lost. He and Hayner were still going at it.

"Hey, I don't see…" Raj was interrupted by a slam on his face. He had left himself wide open by Pence's attempt to fool him. The big bully fell onto the ground, with Pence pointing his Keyblade directly above Rai's neck. "Woah! That thing's dangerous, y'know!" he exclaimed.

"Uh-huh. But I won't put it away unless you surrender. If not, then Salty Thirst will be more than happy to be your friend!" Pence gave the ultimatum.

But Raj, given his stubbornness, refused to yield. "No way! I'm not gonna let some dumb fatass like you be the….AAAAAARRGHHHHHH!" he shrieked when he could feel the tip of Pence's Keyblade touch the back of his neck.

"Don't make this harder for yourself, Rai. If you wanna let me go, then you better concede defeat and take back what you just said! And I really mean it!" Pence told him.

"Okay, okay! I give up! Just lay that thing off me, y'know!" Rai started to whimper, much to the amusement of Pence.

Removing his blade, the chubby teenager grinned cheekily at his opponent. "Not bad for a fatass, huh?" he spoke with so much admiration of himself.

But Rai was too demotivated to even respond, given that he had just conceded defeat to someone like Pence. The very thought of it made him feel both embarrassed and ashamed. And it certainly didn't help with the local spectators laughing at his loss.

Seifer, having been pushed away by Hayner, managed to see how each of his teammates had lost to their opponents. To see that infuriated him greatly.

"What!? You guys lost!?" Seifer asked both Fuu and Rai, who didn't have enough strength to respond. The muscular teenager was enraged. "How could you have lost to a couple of twits like them!? Argh, I can't believe you idiots!" he was enraged with what he saw.

But Seifer returned his focus on Hayner, the blonde-haired teenager pointing his Keyblade at the bully. He was being joined by both Pence and Olette.

"It's game over for you, Seifer! If Pence and Olette beat Rai and Fuu, then that means I'll have no issues taking you down!" Hayner taunted his hated rival, brandishing his Keyblade. "So, let's wrap this fight up! You got any words to say before I pound ya?" he then wanted to make sure Seifer was now trembling before him.

Feeling utterly humiliated, Seifer looked at both Rai and Fuu. He motioned for them to retreat. They both did so, much to the confusion of the Twilight Trio. Seifer faced them with a resentful expression.

"This ain't over just yet, punks! I'll be back! And the next time we meet, I'll take each of you down, all by myself!" Seifer told them before he turned around to run away.

Hayner felt angered by his decision. "Hold on! Just where do you think you're going, you coward!?" he was about to run after him, only to be held back by Pence and Olette. "Ugh! Let me go, guys! I wanna beat him up!" Hayner snapped.

"Settle down, Hayner! You got what you wanted. Seifer's been humiliated. There's no sense for us to go any further" Olette pointed out to him strictly.

"Besides, we were only supposed to get those bullies off Nikki, remember?" Pence pointed out.

The Twilight Trio was treated to a big applause from the spectators. They were all cheering for them. None of the three teenagers knew what to do, yet they appreciated this applause.

The entire crowd surrounded the three Keyblade-wielders, each of them expressing their gratitude towards the friends for their efforts.

"Thank you so much for driving those scoundrels out of my inn. You also rescued my daughter" Sam thanked them, taking time to shook each of their hands. "From now on, you three are more than welcome at The Tapper. I might as well let you fellas taste my cider for free" he then revealed.

Nikki had to giggle at her father's antics. "That's a bit too much, don't you think, dad?" the blonde-haired woman said, only to express her thanks to the Twilight Trio. "Anyway, you guys were terrific out there! Because of you, those city guards won't probably come back at this inn" she told them.

Hayner scratched the back of his neck while chuckling nervously. "Eh, no big deal. We're the kind of guys who just hate bullies with passion. Someone's gotta teach those suckers a lesson" he told the pair.

All of a sudden, more shopkeepers in the market started to approach the trio and thank them for what they did. One of them was a small troll with a green thumb.

"Thanks for taking care of those bullies. Last day, they destroyed some of my potions I was selling" the troll told them, yet he seemed to have forgotten something. "Oh, and my name's Stanley. I'm an herbalist. If you wanna find some medicine, come at my shop" he then introduced himself.

Olette smiled at the troll. "Thanks. We most certainly will" the brunette told him.

"You can also come visit my shop. I sell the most valuable jewels and charms that can bring you both luck and morale" a penguin wearing a yellow scarf and a red hat told them. "My name is Hubie. And I'm a trinket maker" he then introduced himself.

"So you sell Trinkets, huh? Sounds interesting" Pence remarked.

"Feel free to take a look at my watches" a red-nosed bear dressed like a circus director told the three teenagers. "You may call me Zozi" he then told them his name.

None of the three teenagers knew how to respond to all this reception. But they soon heard someone else call for their attention. Indeed, they could hear clapping coming from both Korso and Vladimir.

"Nice work out there, kiddos. You really set those corrupted city guards an example" Korso complimented them.

"Oh yeah? And who might you be?" Hayner asked, feeling a little suspicious about this man.

But Olette stepped in. "Do you always have to act so smug against strangers?" she scolded him.

Korso waved his hand at them dismissively. "No need to worry, girl. I can't really fault your friend here for having doubts. Here in Nocturnal Reserve, it's hard to know what is friend or foe" he told them.

"But rest assured, we are your friends, Key Bearers" Vladimir spoke up.

This made the Twilight Trio surprised. "Wait, how do you know about us?" Pence asked them.

"Something's awfully fishy here. Just who are you guys working for?" Hayner was once again growing suspicious.

The round man with the glasses bowed himself formally. "I am Vladimir Vasilovich. Pleased to be of acquaintance, esteemed Key Bearers" he introduced himself.

"And I'm Joseph Korso. We're with the Rain Lily Resistance. Me and Vlad here were informed about several Key Bearers coming to the Forgotten Realms. And it seems like you're among them" Korso informed the three teenagers.

Olette had to giggle in amusement. "Then it looks like we're quite the celebrities here. Care to fill on what this Rain Lily Resistance is?" the brunette asked them.

"If you want to know more, you should come with us quickly. It won't be long before reinforcements from the city guard will arrive here" Vladimir told them.

"Then take us to wherever your hangout is" Hayner agreed, starting to feel somewhat trusting towards the two men.

And so, Hayner, Pence and Olette followed Vlad and Korso through the streets. They were uncertain about their true allegiances. But somehow, they wondered whether Kairi and the others were in Nocturnal Reserve as well. And not only that. Perhaps they would, by chance, manage to find the whereabouts of Sora as well. That was perhaps the reason why they had been transported to this world in the first place.

_To be continued….._


	6. Fear of the Dark

**FEAR OF THE DARK**

* * *

_Inside the castle called the Alahenena, the Forgotten Realms_

This futuristic castle belonged to the infamous Drej Queen: Susquehana. Having lost possession of Sora, she had sent three of her "minions" to retrieve him. In the meantime, she had other plans in mind.

Coming out from what appeared to be an elevator, Susquehana was now gazing below her on what was happening in these lower parts of her castle. She smirked, seeing as how her devoted Drej-underlings were now creating what appeared to be Heartless with the help of some machine. This machine was empowered by some dark energy, yet it helped create Heartless as all kinds of creatures were twisted and tormented until they became those shadowy beings.

Susquehana used some kind of teleportation to appear before the machine. She observed its energies, before watching the Drej help create and tame the Heartless into obedience. They ranged of all kinds, from prehistoric creatures to mythical beings. Needless to say, the Drej Queen was guaranteed to have an army under her command.

"Yes. The production is going splendidly. With the Mother Virus operational, it's energies will bring life to not just the Heartless here in my castle, but also to those throughout the Forgotten Realms as well" Susquehana mused to herself, only to move closer to this Mother Virus. Ten generators appeared to empower it as a result. But there was something else to it. "Ah, and all that I needed was to give the Mother Virus some worthy "sacrifices" to reach its full capacity. However, finding those sacrifices proved to be challenging…..until someone's magic caught my attention" the alien queen added.

What was she really talking about? Near the machine itself, a few pieces could be seen lying before it. They seemed to have belonged someone before they were reduced to such. There was a small lime-green ball that seemed to belong to a staff, a silver hook, a seashell necklace and other small objects. She destroyed the ball and the seashell necklace by stamping upon them. Susquehana created a hologram before her, looking at the picture of ten individuals she had "sacrificed" to the Mother Virus.

"To make sure the Mother Virus reached full capacity, I sought out these certain individuals for the amount of darkness they each possessed. As sacrifices, they would do nicely. And one by one, I defeated them. They each put valiant fights to the very end. But their petty magics and tricks was no match for my science and knowledge. And with their bodies, I sacrificed them to the Mother Virus, restoring her to full capacity" Susquehana began recalling to how she had fought those strangers. She mused to herself in a sadistic manner as she tapped on the hologram screens one by one. "Hook. Tremaine. Ursula. Grimhilde. Hades. Jafar. Hans. Gothel. Pete. And last but not least…Maleficent. I humbly thank each of you for your contributions to my plans. Because of your sacrifices…my influence across the Forgotten Realms has increased! And do not fret, I will make sure to honor your legacies" she "thanked" those villains Sora, Ven and other of their friends had encountered in the past.

It was true. Somehow in the timeskip, Susquehana had defeated each of these villains, for the sole purpose of acquiring their amount of darkness within them. Once they were defeated, the alien queen mercilessly sacrificed their lives to the Mother Virus, fully empowering this horrific machine of dark energy. With it, the Drej Queen's influence across this lost world, was guaranteed.

"There is one thing I can recall from the day I defeated Maleficent and her wretched servant. Oh yes, I remember how they were also after the same object I desired: the Black Box" Susquehana created another hologram that showed her an object which she truly desired the most, along with Kingdom Hearts. "That foolish fairy insisted that she knew nothing about its whereabouts. But no one ever fools the Drej Queen. That box is still out there somewhere. And I will send scouts across the universe to locate it. Somehow, I have a feeling that Maleficent warned the Foretellers about my desire for the Black Box. Pathetic wretch! Attempting to ally yourself with the enemy in order to stand against me? A truly wasted effort" the alien queen continued recalling her search for the Black Box, as well as mock Maleficent.

Susquehana deactivated the hologram, pacing around the production of Heartless that her loyal subordinates were conducting. She watched as those misbegotten monsters were craving bloodshed, whether it was alive or dead. This pleased her.

"No matter. Even if cannot acquire the Black Box, I still have the opportunity to open the Kingdom Hearts. Yes, the true ones whose whereabouts has remained hidden from even the likes of Xehanort and his minions. Only I possess that knowledge. That is why I am revered as the Seeker of Knowledge" Susquehana felt herself feeling almighty as she passed by her loyal Drej. They all kneeled before her as if she was their goddess.

Feeling satisfied of the progress taking place in these depths, Susquehana teleported herself back to the elevator. She returned to her throne room.

As she sat on the throne, the alien queen created a hologram picture once again. But this time, it showed her the things she desired most.

"Kingdom Hearts. How long I have waited to find and see you with my very own eyes. I simply cannot imagine what I would do with you. So many hearts…..so many worlds…..and so many lives" she mused to herself as she watched the hologram disappear from her sight. "In time, they will be mine. As soon as I have repossessed the Key Bearer. However, to lure him back here, I will gain his attention by capturing the Five Keyblade Princesses" the alien queen said, as there was someone in her throne room as well.

It was true, as eleven individuals appeared before the Drej Queen. They were Sephiroth, Kezka Palazzo, Garland, Golbeza, Exdeath, Ultimecia, Kuja, Jecht, Cain Highwind, Ramza Beoulve and Ace. Somehow, they were in an alliance with Susquehana. But whether it was healthy or not, one could ever know.

"You want us to retrieve those five princesses to you?" Cain coldly asked her.

Susquehana smirked. "Indeed, Cain Highwind. They are what I require to not just open the Kingdom Hearts….but also to lure the Key Bearer to my embrace once again" she told him.

"But why rely upon us? Didn't you dispatch of that hideous preacher, that ugly wizard and that bulky alien to do your bidding?" Kefka questioned her with a huff. But he noticed the way she looked at her. "Nothing against you, personally" the clownish man assured her.

"I did. But as you may have noticed, Rasputin, Mordroc and Borf have become increasingly…...unreliable. And now I hear they have exchanging words with that pestering Clover Council of Nocturnal Reserve. Therefore, they are of no use to me" Susquehana expressed her wish to get rid of her "underlings". Her smirked never faded away. "But you on the other hand. You seem much more reliable to count on. Not to mention….you also bear no love towards Vayne Carudas Solidor" she added.

"That does not make us allies!" the booming voice of Garland could be heard, the armored man crossing his arms. "Mark my words, Destroyer of Worlds. We are not your servants. As such, we do everything that we please" the armored man told the alien queen affirmatively.

Still, Susquehana didn't seem the slightest offended at Garland's words. "On that, there is no question. But each of you have to understand that we do share common foes, do we not?" she bluntly asked them before facing Sephiroth. "I am talking of course about the one named Cloud Strife" the name wasn't enough to upset the long-haired swordsman.

"Try not to flatter yourself, Drej Queen. It seems inappropriate for you" Sephiroth requested her, wanting to move on to the next subject. "We will find those Keyblade Princesses for you. But bear in mind that we will capture them on our own terms. Whatever happens to these pitiful realms, we couldn't care less about" he reminded the alien queen.

Musing to herself, Susquehana made some adjustments which resulted in a large electric portal getting opened for the group to see. Obviously, she was planning for them to enter it.

"Then step right through that portal. It will take you to the Claymore Catacombs beneath the city. You all know what lies down there, do you not?" Susquehana reminded them.

The woman named Ultimecia smirked wickedly. "We know that already. There is no need for you to fill in" she told the Drej Queen.

"Naturally. Very well then, allies. Until we meet again, I bid you farewell. And take your time in acquiring those girls. I am as patient as I can ever be" Susquehana bid them farewell as each member of that group entered the portal, one by one.

With no one but her Drej underlings remaining in her throne room, Susquehana suddenly closed her eyes as her electric tendrils started clawing onto what appeared to be a generator behind the throne. From the looks of things, she was going to rest.

"Because I have all the time in the world, I will use the opportunity to rest for a while. In the meantime, I will let my scouts do some searching around the Forgotten Realms. They should help me with identifying the Five Keyblade Princesses" she said before letting small camera-like robots fly out of her technological handpalm.

These things were as small as dragonflies, yet they seemed to be the perfect things to be used for searching. While Susquehana would rest, her precious spies would locate the whereabouts of whoever these Five Keyblade Princesses were.

* * *

_Somewhere in the Thorny Maze, the Forgotten Realms_

All alone in an unfamiliar world, Kairi had by coincidence stumbled upon Mrs. Brisby the mouse and Jeremy the crow. Feeling that this Nocturnal Reserve could perhaps offer her some information, Kairi had decided to help the two get to this city. She had learned from Mrs. Brisby that some friends of Sora were at this place. As they kept wandering through these haunted woods, Kairi learned more about what was happening at Nocturnal Reserve.

"So, Leon and this Cloud are leading this Rain Lily Resistance against the city's Clover Council? But why? If this world is as dangerous as you say, why would fighting each other be necessary?" Kairi asked the mouse on her shoulder.

"To tell you the truth, I have been wondering about it myself, Kairi" Mrs. Brisby informed her. "But from what Nicodemus has seen, the Clover Council are a contributing to the city's corruption and descent into darkness. For some reason, Heartless has been spotted behind the walls of Nocturnal Reserve. That's what makes me awfully suspicious" she continued.

Kairi listened to the mouse's answer with understanding. "I see" she noted, only to smile when she thought about asking her something. "Speaking of this Nicodemus, did he actually say that Sora was in this world?" the redhead asked, feeling a little optimistic.

Mrs. Brisby looked at her. "Yes. He is the Key Bearer that we, the innocent refugees of the Forgotten Realms, have been waiting for. Sadly, Nicodemus informed me about Sora battling a darkness within him. But even now, I can't grasp what it is" she spoke with a hint of despair.

Kairi couldn't help but to feel for her. She too, was worried about Sora. Ever since he disappeared from her eyes back on the Destiny Islands, there wasn't a single time Kairi could stop crying. But with some encouragement from Riku and the others, the readhead had regained her willpower, and had been determined to go search for the boy she loved.

"If Sora wasn't transported to this world by Nicodemus…..how did he end up here? Something doesn't feel right" Kairi wondered as she kept walking.

"You ladies okay down there?" her thinking was interrupted by Jeremy, the charming crow standing on a tree's branch looking down upon them.

Kairi looked up at him. "Weren't you supposed to do some scouting?" she asked Jeremy.

"I've already done that. Not a nasty creature in sight!" the crow responded back so casually.

"Don't be so certain, Jeremy. Here in the Thorny Maze, thousands have underestimated the dangers lurking nearby. You never know when the next Heartless will strike out from the shadows" Mrs. Brisby pointed out.

But Jeremy didn't seem as convinced. "Eh, you worry too much, Mrs. Bris. Heck, I can even scout ahead for you once gain if you want me to" the crow assured his friend.

"That's nice of you, Jeremy. But please be careful up there" Kairi told him.

"You got it, missy!" Jeremy responded with so much enthusiasm and bravery.

With the crow returning to scouting, Kairi and Mrs. Brisby proceeded to walk on the pathway through the thorn-ridden forests. There was earie feeling lurking around them, yet with Kairi's determination, they would be on their guard.

All of a sudden, Mrs. Brisby looked up to the skies and seemed concerned.

"Oh no. It's getting darker" the mouse remarked.

"I can see that. But what about it?" Kairi asked her.

Mrs. Brisby gulped. "When the night arrives here in this forest…..more Heartless are out prowling around here…..including them!" she revealed.

The redhead was awfully curious and concerned at the same time. "Who's them?" she wondered.

But Kairi didn't get an answer, as Jeremy screamed while diving down towards their location. And he was not alone. Someone was chasing the crow in the air. Horrified, the Keyblade-wielder could see flying owl-like Heartless dive towards them.

"MORE HEARTLESS! AND THEY'RE FLYERS!" Kairi got on the defensive with her Keyblade.

Jeremy hid behind Kairi's right shoulder. "You gotta help us! Those owls are a nasty bunch working for that hideous Duke!" the crow told her.

Understanding their desire to be protected, Kairi carried Mrs. Brisby over to Jeremy, putting the mouse on top of him.

"Both of you, stay out of sight! I'll handle these monsters. Find somewhere to hide until then!" Kairi informed them.

Realizing the logic in her words, Jeremy and Mrs. Brisby did as they were told. With her friends out of harm's way, Kairi could not concentrate on defeating these flying enemies.

"This better be worth the training I went through. Still, I don't always have to swing my Keyblade in order to attack opponents. I still have the magic I learned" Kairi thought, watching as how each of the Heartless decided to attack her one by one.

For those who decided to dive upon her, Kairi made it easy to predict their moves. She managed to slash one of the Heartless before blocking the other one's attack. But with her quick wits, the teenage girl swung her Keyblade so that the other Heartless was slashed in half as well. But there was still two more who were up in the air. But Kairi didn't sweat, as she knew just the kind of attacks she could use.

"I shouldn't normally waste mana like this. But I will make an exception here" Kairi said as she pointed her weapon at the flying creatures. At the top of the Keyblade, a ball of flame was formed. "FIRE!" she exclaimed before shooting fire from her Keyblade repeatedly.

At first, the Heartless flyers tried splitting up, yet it was too late. Kairi's shooting was done faster than their planning. As such, they were easily disposed of. A smirk crept on the redhead's lips in wake of this victory.

"Wow. I sure have come a long way to hold on my own like this!" she remarked while watching her Keyblade. Kairi then proceeded to look at the tree her friends had been hiding behind. "It's all over now, you two. Come out" she called upon both Jeremy and Mrs. Brisby.

Looking beyond the tree, the crow and the mouse appeared out of hiding and embraced the Keyblade-wielder in a friendly hug. But that celebration proved shortlived.

A loud laughter could be heard coming from above, and it made them all cautious. Somehow, Jeremy and Mrs. Brisby were filled with fear as they recognized that laughter.

"Oh my goodness…..it's him!" Jeremy shrieked.

"This is not good! We must flee, now!" Mrs. Brisby told Kairi.

But it was already too late. Even now, the skies above them was spiraling above the forest and winds blew out towards Kairi and her friends. They were blown away by this powerful burst of air. The teenage girl got up, watching as something huge stood on one of the many branches above her. Her blue eyes widened in astonishment.

This huge creature turned out to be a big brown-feathered owl wearing a black and red cape all around him. His yellow eyes and white furrows above them only highlighted his vileness. The owl started laughing as she watched Kairi below him.

"Now, what do we have here? It appears that there is a lost soul trespassing in my domain. And I hate trespassers!" the owl said, expressing his dissatisfaction in what he was seeing. "But still, you managed to eliminate my underlings with such ease. That weapon of yours seems to be something" he continued.

Kairi brandished her Keyblade, feeling that his owl's appearance somewhat indicated what his alignment was, and it was not that of the good.

"Who are you!?" Kairi demanded, standing her ground.

The owl's thick furrows lifted up in confusion. "You cannot possibly be that guillable. You wander around my domain without even knowing who I am? How needlessly rude of you, trespasser!" he exclaimed before stretching out his wings. "I am the Ruler of the Thorny Maze. Lord of the Creatures of the Night. But above all else, I am the Grand Duke of Owls!" he then introduced himself.

A hunch could be felt inside Kairi's head. She remembered Mrs. Brisby mentioning something called the Great Owl. From what the mouse had told her, this owl also lived somewhere in the Thorny Maze. But this owl couldn't possibly be the one Mrs. Brisby had told her about. The Great Owl was, from the mouse's own words, imposing and scary, yet benevolent and wise beyond his age.

"Now that being said. It is time that I got my breakfast ready" the Duke said before snapping his feathers, thus calling for someone.

Before Kairi knew it, her friends were captured by a pygmy-sized and deranged owl. Obviously, it must have used the commotion to capture them.

"Kairi!" the mouse cried for help.

"MRS. BRISBY! JEREMY!" Kairi was filled with concern. In anger, she pointed her Keyblade at the small owl. "Let my friends go, you little fiend!" she demanded, yet the owl paid no heed.

"Uncle Dukey! Uncle Dukey! I captured that mouse and the crow just as you commanded! Ha-ha!" the pygmy owl sounded so insane while exclaiming this.

The Duke chuckled deeply as he used his magic to hold Mrs. Brisby and Jeremy captured in magic forcefields. "Well done, Hunch! You proved to be very useful this time!" he complimented the small owl before turning his hungry gaze upon the two friends. "Now as for the two of you. I know you are, Mrs. Brisby" the Duke revealed.

The mouse was horrified. "How d-do you know….." she didn't have enough courage to speak.

"Do you take me for a fool? I know all about your connections to those pesky rats of NIMH! Tell me, how does poor Nicodemus fare these days? I hear he has been getting more fragile with each passing day" the Duke mockingly asked her. "You know, I could spare your wretched life., as well as those of your pathetic family. All you have to do is telling me the whereabouts of Nicodemus and those dirty rodents" the owl continued.

As horrified as Mrs. Brisby was in hearing that, she never backed down. "No. I would never negotiate with a treacherous wretch like you! Nicodemus, Justin and the other rats have helped me and family in the past. I owe you nothing!" she defiantly told him.

An evil smirk crept on the Duke's beak and he chuckled at seeing the mouse's attempt to be brave. "So, you are going to refuse to cooperate, eh? Very well. Then I suppose your precious children will not mind satisfying my hunger!" he ruthlessly revealed, bluntly expressing his desire to eat her.

Jeremy was paranoid. "AAAAAAAAH! YOU CAN'T EAT ME! I DON'T HAVE ANY BONES LEFT! I'M TO FRAGILE TO BE EATEN!" the crow was trying his best to escape, but it was futile.

Kairi, feeling enraged, empowered her fire. "RELEASE MY FRIENDS, YOU BIG, FAT BIRD!" she was furious as she fired her magic at her enemy.

But the Duke, already sensing the attack, responded by blowing out what appeared to be some magic dust. This dust managed to reduce the flame to nothing, yet the big owl proceeded to fire it upon Kairi. She immediately dodged it and hid behind one of the trees.

"You be silent now, trespasser! Even as I stand here, I cannot think on an empty stomach. That is why I really need to feast. Therefore, I have no longer any desire to play games with you!" the Duke said before snapping his feathers once more. As a result, more owl-like Heartless appeared above the forest. The Duke even took to the air. "Minions! Kill that wretched girl! Make sure that she does NOT reach my lair! I want no disturbances to my mealtime!" he added before disappearing out of sight with the help of winds.

The pygmy owl flew away to catch up to his uncle. "Wait! Uncle Rukey! Don't go! Wait for me!" the small bird said as he left the scene.

Kairi was left alone to fend off those Heartless-owls. But they were not what she was concerned about the most. Mrs. Brisby and Jeremy were captured, and she couldn't imagine what this Grand Duke of Owls had in store for them.

"I have to rescue Mrs. Brisby and Jeremy! They don't deserve such fate!" Kairi said to herself. Looking past the tree she was hiding, the redhead angrily glared at the flying Heartless sitting on the branches. Kairi clutched herself to her Keyblade. "You're not scaring me, monsters! Fly away before you make me lose my patience!" she yelled at her enemies while firing magic upon one of them, thus killing it.

As she was preparing to defend herself against aerial enemies, Kairi realized what she had to do now. Getting to Nocturnal Reserve would have to wait. Freeing her friends were more important. She was especially thinking about Mrs. Brisby and her family.

"Don't worry! I'll come and get you!" she swore before dodging an attack from one of the Heartless. The teenage girl proceeded to attack her enemies. But as she battled her foes, Kairi started to think about the boy she really loved. "Sora. Please forgive me. But I'm afraid my search for you will have to wait for now. I have to save some new friends. If you were here, I knew you would have done the same thing" the redhead apologized to Sora before slicing off her foes.

Whatever challenges awaited Kairi, she would confront them and emerge more confident in her abilities as a Keyblade-wielder.

* * *

_Somewhere in the Forbidden Jungle, the Forgotten Realms_

Having arrived at this lush yet dangerous jungle, Riku and Namine had barley started to notice their surroundings, when they stumbled upon a group of young dinosaurs who had been chased by a giant Tyrannosaurus-like Heartless. This led them to fight this Heartless on a shallow lake beneath a wondrous waterfall. With their combined talents and tough luck, the two friends managed to put the creature out of its misery. But in the aftermath, they had befriended this group of dinosaurs, as well as learned more about this world they had arrived in. After learning about the dinosaurs' families being held like slaves in Nocturnal Reserve, Riku and Namine had decided to help free them.

As such, they would accompany the group of dinosaurs to that city. Since leaving the lake and the waterfall, they had no encountered a single Heartless. Yet the jungle was filled with living plants that had to be cut down.

Right now, Riku and Namine watched as Littlefoot, Cera, Spike and Petrie enjoyed eating some green leaves that were ripe for the taking. The evening had arrived, yet the jungle felt alive as it was during the day. From what they could tell, those dinosaurs were pretty hungry. In fact, Namine had even taken out her sketchbook and started drawing them.

"Mmmm…these leaves are just the best!" Littlefoot exclaimed as he munched on some of them.

Namine smiled as she observed Littlefoot and his friends eating. "You sure are a hungry bunch. Is it true this Forbidden Jungle is the only place where you can eat leaves that are suitable for you?" she kindly asked them.

Cera looked at her, her cheeks bloating as a result of the leaves she consumed. "Yeah! All the other places in the Forgotten Realms are too dry for leafeaters like us to dwell in. But back in Nocturnal Reserve, our slave handlers would often feed us leaves" Cera responded.

When she mentioned that place, sad expressions began forming on the faces of Petrie and Spike. Even as they enjoyed digesting the leaves, they still felt somewhat hurt on the inside. Littlefoot and Cera could understand why.

"Oh, Petrie miss Ducky! Things different when she gone" Petrie expressed his sadness.

Even the usually gluttonous Spike was losing his appetite. He felt very sad while thinking about Ducky.

"Don't worry, Spike. We'll get Ducky free. I'm sure of it" Littlefoot reassured his friend, only to look at the two Keyblade-wielders. "You really wanna help us free our families and friends?" he asked them.

Riku nodded his head at them in return. "Of course. Given that you four are willing to take us to Nocturnal Reserve, the least we can do is find a way to free your loved ones" he told Littlefoot before leaning on closer. "Now that reminds me. Weren't you guys saying something about dinosaurs being used as labor force?" he asked them.

"Oh yes! We be treated unfairly! The Clover Council rude people!" Petrie expressed his dissatisfaction while crossing his wings. "They make us work! Give us little food and water!" he added.

Namine felt sorry for him. "That's terrible. Who could ever do something like that to you?" she was dismayed with hearing such awful treatment.

"They also keep us locked up behind areas with large pointy thingies! No one is allowed outside, except when we're supposed to work" Littelfoot explained. But the longnecked dinosaur seemed quite troubled as he said those words. "I'm worried about my grandparents. They're both being held there" he said, feeling the urge to cry.

Cera was also having similar thoughts. "What about my dad and sisters? They're also being held captive!" she snapped, feeling like Littlefoot was not paying enough sympathy to her or the other ones missing a family.

"I don't have time for more arguments, Cera" Littlefoot told her.

"I'm not arguing with you, I'm only saying…" the three-horned dinosaur was interrupted when Riku stepped in between them.

"Alright. That's enough arguing. It's clear to me and Namine that all of you have someone being held captured at slave pens. But trust me, we'll find a way to free them" Riku assured Littlefoot and his friends. He then looked back at Namine. "In the meantime, we can probably figure out whether Sora is here or not. But we still don't know where Kairi and the others are" the blue-haired teenage boy told her.

The blondie smiled sweetly in return. "Don't worry, Riku. Even as we're far apart, I can tell that they're all alive out in this world. Sooner or later, we'll find them" she told Riku, who seemed to be in agreement.

But the young dinosaurs were confused by that statement.

"Sora? Kairi? Who're they?" Littlefoot asked them.

Riku looked at the longnecked dinosaur. "They are some of our friends. But this Sora we speak of, is someone me and Namine haven't heard from in a long time. It happened on one day back on our homeworld, when we were all at the beach playing and having fun. Then everything changed, when Sora vanished without a trace. Ever since then, we've been searching for his whereabouts" the Keyblade-wielder explained, making sure that the other dinosaurs listened to this as well.

"Oh, me get it! Riku and Namine be looking for this Sora! Same as we be looking for Ducky and families!" Petrie happily exclaimed.

Namine giggled in return. "You could say that, Petrie" she told him, only to notice him, Littlefoot, Cera and Spike approach by her side and look at what she was sketching. From the looks of it, they were awfully curious to see the thing she held.

"What's that?" Cera asked her.

"Why, this is a sketchbook. It's a book you use to draw something on. Look, I managed to draw each of you!" Namine told them while showing her drawings.

From what they saw, it was them sitting near each other while eating some leaves. However, none of them seemed to understand what a sketchbook even was. It was evident, considering Cera's brash reaction.

"What are you talking about? That's not me!" Cera blurted out, feeling offended and walked away with a huff.

Her friends didn't seem to appreciate her attitude. "Don't mind Cera. Cera is always a meanie" Petrie assured Namine.

Unfortunately, Cera's hearing was good enough. "What did you just say to me!?" she snapped, only for Petrie to take to the air.

"You heard Petire! Cera is a meanie! Cera is a meanie! Cera is a meanie!" he started teasing her while chanting those sentences repeatedly, much to the three-horned dinosaur's irritation. Eventually, Littlefoot and Spike had to laugh at this jab.

Even Riku was finding this scene amusing, as Cera was starting to resemble someone. "Somehow, Cera's like Donald, minus the feathers and beaks" he remarked to Namine, who couldn't resist the urge to giggle.

Feeling that it was getting late, the dinosaurs knew that it was time for some sleep. But they were having great concerns about doing it in a place like the Forbidden Jungle. Luckily, Riku and Namine had offered to each keep watch of them during sleep. But there was a discussion about who would do that first.

"You can sleep if you want to, Namine. I'll be more than happy to watch over" Riku told her.

But the blondie shook her head. "No, Riku. You're the strongest fighter among us. You should be the one who rests first" Namine insisted, feeling somewhat drawn to the pale moon in the skies above them. "Besides. This moon…..I can't help but to notice some form of connection to it" she then revealed.

Riku felt like Namine wasn't ready for this, yet a part of him had to understand how far she had come in her Keyblade-training. The way they took down that Heartless together only proved him right. As such, Riku felt like it was bad of him to question her capabilities.

"Alright. Then you keep watch first. But just wake me up when you feel something's not right" Riku told her, only to deliver something that caught Namine off-guard. It was a kiss on her forehead.

Still Namine appreciated it, seeing this as a goodnight kiss. "I promise I will. Goodnight, Riku. And you as well, Littlefoot. Cera. Spike. Petrie" she told them.

As Riku took his time to rest, each of the dinosaurs laid near him, with Riku even using Littlefoot as a pillow. Spike and Cera lied under his arms, while Petrie slept on Riku's head. But he didn't seem to mind at all, as the teenage boy was already in deep sleep.

Namine couldn't help but to sit and watch and see in how cute they really looked together. As a matter of fact, she felt like drawing this picture. But before she could even reach for her sketchbook, something else caught her attention.

Looking up, the young Keyblade-wielder could see the bright moon. Even as the jungle around her was making noise, her blue eyes were caught by the wonderful light the moon offered. And it was not only that, the stars around it helped illuminate its beauty.

"It's so beautiful" Namine uttered out. She stood and continued watching it. "I can't recall the last time I ever saw a moon shine so bright like this one. Is this one of the many wonders of exploring out in the universe? It has to be it. Somehow, I feel connected to the moon, and it makes me not want to take my eyes off it" she continued speaking, feeling the wind blowing her long hair.

Unbeknownst to her, Riku had not yet fallen into sleep. As such he could still open his eyes in order to see how Namine was doing. The minute he did that, he froze entirely. Somehow, the blue-haired teenager was captivated by what he witnessed. It was Namine standing in the moonlight while the wind blew at her, making her long hair move.

"Namine….." Riku stammered.

He didn't know what was with him, but Riku could tell one thing though. Namine almost looked like a goddess, her beauty so breathtaking that it made even someone like him enamored. Since returning to the Destiny Islands, Riku remembered how he and Namine had started to get more closer to one another. This relationship between them as very similar to the one between Sora and Kairi.

"Wait…what am I even thinking?" Riku wondered to himself. "Its true that Namine is a great friend…but do I really…..care for her?" the Keyblade-wielder wondered.

The more he started to think of an answer to that question, the sleepier Riku got. In time, his eyes just closed out of his own free will. But at the same time, he felt at peace with himself in sleeping. With a wonderful goddess of the moon such as Namine watching over him and the dinosaurs, he knew they were more than safe. She was no longer the shy and introverted girl as when they had first met.

"Goodnight…..Namine…." Riku literally whispered those words out to the girl.

But Namine sadly didn't hear those, yet she still looked over to the group and see what they were doing. They were all asleep. Namine smiled, realizing that she would have to guard her friends against anyone.

"Just sleep, you guys. I'll protect you" Namine lowly told them, clutching her Keyblade tightly to herself.

But far away from the group's current location, movements started occurring throughout the jungle. While it was a lush place, it certainly lived up to its name. Now that the night had arrived, shadowy creatures began lurking around. Those creatures turned out to be Heartless-dinosaurs. But they were not necessarily of the same size as the one Riku and Namine had taken down earlier. Some of these creatures were smaller, others looked similar to Littlefoot and his friends. Needless to say, they were leafeaters, who had somehow been corrupted into Heartless.

As the twisted creatures stumbled upon each other, they starting battling for supremacy, just as they would have done that in their previous lives. But above all else, the Forbidden Jungle seemed to be infested with Heartless. At this place, it was survival of the fittest.

Only time would tell whether Riku, Namine and the young dinosaurs would manage to escape this place and reach the Nocturnal Reserve.

_To be continued….._


	7. Hellish Nightmares

**HELLISH NIGHTMARES**

* * *

_On a boat in the middle of a sea, the Forgotten Realms_

Having arrived at a place called the Demon's Bayou, Roxas and Lea found themselves in a place where the rejects and ruffians of these Forgotten Realms. While they had struggled to find where they had come to, they met a talking German Shepherd by the name of Charlie B. Barkin. He along with his partner Itchy Itchiford the dachshund, had a boat, and Charlie even offered to take them to Nocturnal Reserve for a price. But after defeating several Heartless that had been stalking Charlie and Itchy, Roxas and Lea were allowed onboard for free. After sailing through the murky bayou, the group of four were out in the open sea with their boat.

This boat appeared to be a longboat, and they had to row in order to get it moving. And since Roxas and Lea had hands, they had to do it. In the meantime, Charlie and Itchy would help navigate through these murky waters.

As they were out in the ocean, Roxas could see how there was nothing except for the skies, which had now turned dark. Another thing which made it strange was that the seas were so calm. There was no sign of waves anywhere they rowed the boat.

"This is strange…...is this sea really that still?" Roxas wondered, looking around while he rowed the boat.

Lea was also rowing, yet he felt it was unfair of how he and Roxas had to carry the oars. "You know, it sounds unfair that me and Roxas have to do all the rowing" the red-haired man complained.

But Charlie shrugged at him dismissively. "Hey. You and your buddy wanted to go to Nocturnal Reserve, eh? Well, here you go. Now quit sounding so ungrateful" the dog told him.

"I swear, if you keep talking to me like that one more time, I'm gonna swing this oar at you until you…" Lea was stopped by Roxas.

"Cut it out, will you? These guys are dogs, so there's no way they could've rowed this boat like us" Roxas encouraged his aggressive friend to calm down.

Lea scoffed. "Really? Well that's strange. If those guys can't row a boat, why do you even have one in the first place?" he asked, facing the two dogs in the process.

Instead of responding to Lea, Charlie looked at Roxas. "Your pal sure is a handful" he leaned over to whisper it to him.

"What were you saying!?" Lea really wanted to know.

Roxas sighed, feeling like this was getting them out of nowhere. "Alright. We've been rowing for a while. Let's take a break for a couple of seconds" he suggested to everyone.

But Charlie seemed to have some reservation about this. "Woah, woah, woah. I hate to tell you this, but we can't stay out here for too long. We have to keep rowing" the German Shepherd insisted.

Lea got suspicious as he laid the oar on his lap. "And why is that?" he asked Charlie.

"Because this is the Maw. And believe you me, it ain't like any ocean you've ever sailed on. There's danger lurking all around us" Charlie answered.

Roxas took his time to look around, yet he saw nothing. "I'm sorry, but I don't see anything. And for being an ocean, it sure is calm around here. There's not a wave in sight" the teenage boy pointed out.

"Don't let that fool ya, kid. That's a common misconception people who're not from here have. To tell you the truth…..there's somethin' living in the Maw" the dog revealed, much to the curiosity of the two Keyblade-wielders.

Itchy had so far, been holding a lantern up in the air. But he had gotten more paranoid since it became darker all around them. The dachshund looked around, still holding the lantern.

"Oh no…it's night!" Itchy shivered as he started to lose control. Fortunately for him, Charlie was at his side. "Hey, boss! It's night!" he told his friend.

But Charlie was unfazed. "I know. So what?" he asked, only to see Itchy becoming incredibly uncomfortable.

"That's the point, Charlie! During night, all those nasty creatures comes out to play! And they'll be seeking to devour us all!" Itchy's paranoia was getting the best of him.

Still, Charlie didn't feel the same, and he even held onto Itchy's head with his paws. "Get a hold of yourself, will ya!? We can still make it to Nocturnal Reserve through the night! And don't worry about those creeps coming. As long as you hold onto that lantern, we'll be safe. So head out there and light our way on the sea" he told Itchy while pushing him forward.

"Sure! I'm a lighthouse" Itchy remarked sarcastically yet he did step out on the edge while lifting the lantern up a little. So far, he saw very little. "This is stupid. I'm trying my best here, Charlie. But I can't see anything, not even Nocturnal Reserve" the dachshund called out to his friend.

"Just keep trying. It's gotta be out there somewhere" Charlie responded bluntly.

Rolling his eyes, Itchy continued. "Yea right! As if….idgi...idgi...ho...ho" he stopped when he felt something weird.

His friends had taken notice of it and wondered why he was doing that. Roxas and Lea were particularly confused.

"What's with him all of a sudden?" Lea asked.

"Beats me" Charlie replied, looking over to Itchy. "Hey, Itchy. What's wrong with…...NO! HOLD YOUR NOSE!" he knew what was wrong with him.

It looked as if Itchy was about to sneeze. "Idgi...how...hi...yee...idihominee...ah...ah….AAAAAAAHCHOOOOOOO!" he couldn't contain it and sneezed so loudly. It was also so powerful that it managed to blow off the light inside the lantern.

"Oh boy. The light's off" Lea noted.

"Terrific" Charlie remarked with so much low disappointment with his friend.

Once Itchy noticed that the light was gone, he panicked. "Eeeeep! The light! It's gone! It's…." he was covered on his mouth by Charlie.

"Shut up! Don't make too much noise! We're in the middle of the Maw, remember!?" Charlie whispered to his friend while making sure nobody was listening. Once things were clear, he proceeded to whisper into Itchy. "Just hold the lantern and let me lit it on. I'll use this match while you hold it open" he then told him.

Itchy happily obliged, opening the lantern so that Charlie's match could reach inside. But as he was holding it, Itchy got some of the cinder blown upon him. When it reached his nose, he started loosing control over again.

"Di...di...ow..." Itchy began.

This time, Charlie was already trying his best to make him stop. "Oh no you don't! Just hold it, Itchy!" Charlie told him.

"Doh…..I can't…I….eee…..must…..eee" the dachshund was on the verge of sneezing.

"He's gonna sneeze again!" Roxas noticed this with concern.

"I….eee….eee…AAAAAAAACHOOOOOOOOOO!" Itchy's sneeze was once again powerful. But he had not just blown off the match Charlie held. Itchy also lost hold of the lantern. As a result, it was thrown overboard.

The group of four watched as the object sunk into the dark water below them. Only after a couple of minutes did it disappear from their sights. Now, they were all in the dark with no lights on.

"There goes our light…" Roxas said, his eyes still facing the endless dark in the water.

"Well…that's a bummer" Lea remarked.

Charlie turned his gaze upon his best friend. "Nice job, idiot" he berated him.

But Itchy was having none of that. "Hey! It was your idea to let me hold that stupid lantern in the first place! And you know how my nose is sensitive to dirt and cinder!" the dachshund hit back at Charlie.

"But how could you even be dumb enough to lose grip!?" the German Shepherd pressed on. He then noticed the burned-out match. "And look what you made me do! This was the only match we had left!" he added.

"Well, that's not my fault! You were supposed to have taken care of those!" Itchy insisted.

Lea, seeing as how neither of the dogs were helping with the situation, decided to step in.

"Alright, mutts. That's enough barking for now" the red-haired man told them, before summoning his Keyblade to his side. "Since the lantern's down in a watery grave, I say we use my Keyblade's fire to light the way. Watch this" Lea said, using some fire magic to envelop his weapon in flames.

Roxas was amused by this. "Woah, I didn't know you could do that, Lea" he commended his friend's ability.

Lea shrugged off with a confidential smile. "What can I say? I've been practicing magic for some time now" he told them before looking at Charlie and Itchy. "But since I'm gonna light the way, one of you guys will have to take the oar and….." he was stunned when Itchy enthusiastically volunteered for the job.

"I'm on it!" he took his seat besides Roxas. "I'll do anything, as long as your keep that thing fired up!" Itchy insisted, much to the amusement of the two Keyblade-wielders.

Charlie rolled his eyes at seeing his best friend's antics. But he did so out of amusement. "No matter how many times Itchy's paranoia can irritate me, I feel myself lucky to be friends with someone like him" he thought.

With that being taken care off, the group proceeded to sail through the silent ocean. But as they kept sailing, they noticed what appeared to be a wind appearing around them. This made both Roxas and Itchy stop rowing.

"Man, where did all this wind come from?" Roxas wondered as he held the oar upon his lap.

Both Itchy and Charlie were feeling very uncomfortable. They could feel the longboat beginning to shake a little as a result of the waves the winds were making. But on the other hand…..they knew what it was.

Things got more heated as they could hear the sound of a deep laughter coming near them.

"Oh no…..no…it can't be….NOOOOOOO!" Charlie expressed his fears.

"Okay, Charlie. Care to explain what's really scary about the Maw?" Lea wanted some answers out of him.

Before Charlie could even respond, they all noticed a huge whirlwind emerging from the ocean. It caught the entire group off-guard, seeing as it was filled with bright fire. And not only that, it happened so close to their location. Roxas and Lea were awed at watching a giant figure appearing out of the whirlwind. It was creature of a nightmarish appearance, almost like a breed between a dog, a dragon and a demon. It had long wings on its back, a tan underbelly, glowing devilish eyes, gray snout and long teeth on its jaws.

Itchy screamed. "AAAAAAHHHHHHH! IT'S HIM! IT'S HIM!" he hid behind Roxas, who had so far stood up on his feet to look at the creature.

"What is this!?" Roxas asked out loud.

For some reason, Charlie felt quite distressed as he witnessed this being taking shape. Apparently, he seemed to recognize it somehow.

"It's the Hellhound…" Charlie finally revealed, his voice bearing a hint of fear.

"The Hellhound?" Lea asked, starting to observe the appearance of that beast. "I dunno. Looks like a furred dragon to me" he noted, even someone as laidback like himself stunned by the Hellhound.

Smoke came out of the Hellhound's jaws, indicating that it could breath fire. However, he seemed to have his eyes set upon Charlie specifically. A monstrous grin was formed.

"SO NICE OF YOU TO COME VISIT ME AT THE MAW ONCE AGAIN, CHARLIE B. BARKIN" the Hellhound spoke up, his voice ringing hollow and leaving nothing but terror in its wake.

This made the two Keyblade-wielders confused. "Hold on! Do you two know each other!?" Roxas asked Charlie.

"That's none of your business!" the German Shepherd hit back at him before directing his attention towards the Hellhound. "Look! I still don't know how you got here, but I'll have you know that I've not committed a single sin! So you've no right to take my soul!" he yelled at the demonic creature.

In response, the Hellhound chuckled sadistically. "ARE YOU CERTAIN OF THAT? YOU ARE SUCH A GULLIBLE DOG, CHARLIE! NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO, YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE COMMITTED A SIN! THAT IS WHAT FATE HAS DECIDED FOR YOU!" he responded back.

Itchy, already feeling powerless to speak up, tried making contact with his friend. "This is bad, Charlie! I say we jump off ship and swim before…" his words fell on deaf ears, as Charlie still stood his ground.

"I could care less about what I've done in the past! Nobody's perfect! But in the end, I sacrificed myself to rescue a girl's life! That's how I earned my place to go Heaven instead of Hell!" Charlie continued.

"FOOL! THERE IS NO HEAVEN HERE! ALL THAT EXISTS IN THE FORGOTTEN REALMS, ARE SUFFERING, PAIN AND DARKNESS!" the Hellhound berated him, using his wings to create a cyclone towards the group on the longboat.

The four friends clung themselves as the longboat rode upon big waves. They could feel how they were taken into different heights, as if the water beneath them was changing.

"HOLD ON TIGHT, GUYS!" Roxas encouraged them while holding Itchy's hand.

Lea was holding onto Charlie, making sure that he didn't fall overboard. "DAMN! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?" he asked out loud as he looked to see the Hellhound now stretching his head so that he could directly face them all at a closer distance.

Charlie, feeling how much this agitated him, still felt enough fire burning inside of him. He possessed enough courage to look into this monster's eyes and speak for himself.

"You heard me! I've made up for my mistakes! No longer do I have to worry about slaving to you! Annabelle and the other angel dogs said so!" Charlie pointed out.

The Hellhound grinned. "IMBECILE! THOSE PATHETIC CREATURES HAVE ALL DIED! THE DARKNESS THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE ENABLED ME TO PREVAIL AGAINST THEM!" he mocked Charlie as he faced him.

"And about that witch Annabelle? Hah! She's already dead!" a mean female voice could be heard coming from the Hellhound's shoulder.

Charlie and Itchy looked up to see who it was that had spoken. They could see a female dog who looked awfully similar to someone Charlie knew, except that she had darker features. That included demonic wings, as opposed to angelic ones Annabelle had.

"It's you! You're that awful cousin of Annabelle! The one named…whatever your name is!" Charlie snapped at her.

The demonic dog frowned as she glanced down at him with dispassion. "It's Belladonna to you, nincompoop" she berated him, only to grin as she thought about something so devious. "Ah, poor Charlie. I bet you must miss that good-for-nothing cousin of mine. Too bad she's already dead" she venomously insulted the friend Charlie knew.

"You…" he growled at the manner Belladonna was speaking.

"And I almost forgot: there's this little brat you once rescued. How come I don't see Anne-Marie with you on this boat? Oh, I see. You and your cowardly friend must have abandoned her to save your own skin, just as you have done in the past!" the devilish whippet continued torturing Charlie.

"Shut up…." Charlie spoke up lowly, only to glance up to glare at Belladonna. "I don't wanna hear her name from your filthy mouth!" the German Shepherd roared.

"Yeah! Don't you dare talk about her like that! Anne-Marie's an innocent angel! She deserves better!" Itchy surprisingly had enough courage to speak up.

Both Roxas and Lea were awfully curious to know more about this Anne-Marie, yet they could tell that this girl seemed to be important to both Charlie and Itchy.

Belladonna was laughing sadistically at seeing the tears from the eyes of Charlie and Itchy. "Then I suppose you along with these two strangers are headed towards Nocturnal Reserve to look for her, right? How pathetic. That girl is probably dead by now. Or better yet, we may her soul in our grasp" she tried destroying their minds once again.

"No…..YOU'RE LYING!" Charlie barked back.

The Hellhound laughed in what he was seeing. "AS AMUSING IT IS TO WATCH YOUR MIND SHATTER, IT WILL BE MORE SATISFYING TO FINALLY TAKE YOUR SOUL WITH ME TO HELL. AND DO NOT WORRY, YOUR FRIENDS WILL JOIN YOU AS WELL!" he bellowed, only to breath fire out of his mouth.

The four headed towards the boat, and the group of friends moved backwards so that they wouldn't get hit. Surprisingly though, the fire didn't burn the ship. But something did in fact emerge out of the flames. Those were tiny demonic creatures that could fly, yet they seemed to be quite dark. However, Roxas and Lea knew what they were.

"Heartless! And they sure don't look like a friendly bunch!" Lea noted with great concern.

"But we both know what to do here, Lea. These things will not rest until they've devoured us. It's time we put them out of existence" Roxas pointed out while drawing out his Keyblades.

Lea smirked, responding by doing the same thing. "I thought you would never say that. Now, let's get dangerous here!" he told his friend.

Both Charlie and Itchy were relieved to see how their "bodyguards" were willing to fight these demonic creatures. It didn't take long before these imp-like Heartless were disposed of. While their strength lied in numbers, their small sizes were now match for the skills of the Keyblade-wielders.

"Gosh! I'm really glad you hired these guys, Charlie!" the dachshund said.

But Charlie was feeling quite pessimistic. "I don't know, Itchy. The fight ain't over just yet" he told his friend.

Lea was holding the Keyblade close to him, approaching the front edge of the boat alongside Roxas. The red-haired man even pointed his weapon at the Hellhound.

"Listen up, ya big, ugly muttface! We don't know who you are or what your deal with these two dogs are, but you better leave us alone and let us continue sailing towards Nocturnal Reserve if you don't want us to bash you!" Lea spoke up loudly.

Belladonna growled at what she saw. "Those pesky humans…the nerve they have to insult us….." she stopped muttering as the Hellhound was chuckling to himself once again. She couldn't understand why.

"I SEE. IT APPEARS THAT THE PROPHECY I WAS TOLD IS CORRECT. THE KEY BEARERS HAS FINALLY APPEARED IN THE FORGOTTEN REALMS. THAT EXPLAINS WHY MY HEARTLESS HAVE GROWN RESTLESS THESE DAYS" the Hellhound spoke up, surprising both Roxas and Lea. "IN THAT CASE, I CANNOT ALLOW SUSQUEHANA TO ACQUIRE SWORDSMEN LIKE YOU IN MY RANKS. I HEREBY GIVE YOU AN OFFER. JOIN ME AND YOU WILL EACH ACHIEVE POWERS BEYOND IMAGINATION" he now sought to recruit them to his side.

Neither Roxas nor Lea could fathom what this evil entity had in store for them. But to hear that he somehow possessed knowledge about the Keyblade was quite a shocker.

But Roxas would have none of this foolishness. Clutching onto his Keyblades, he glared at the demonic monstrosity with determination. "No! I refuse to become a servant of some depraved leader. While I may have been that in the past, there's no way in hell that I'll ever return to that path. In fact, I have a found a new one to follow. And it has made me the one I am today! That's why I'll never serve you!" Roxas' courage and fire were on full display.

Lea mused to himself in seeing how his friend acted. In truth, it had only encouraged him to feel the same way.

"You heard my pal! Ain't no way that we'll become your lapdogs. So shove that offer up your ass!" Lea rudely spat at the Hellhound.

The two Keyblade-wielders could tell that the Hellhound was dissatisfied by their answers. But that was only good to know, seeing as joining someone like that creature would only destroy their humanity. Still, the Hellhound was eager to attack the group on the longboat once again.

"VERY WELL. SINCE YOU REFUSE MY OFFER, I MIGHT AS WELL FORCE YOU TO SURRENDER AND DRAG YOU DOWN TO HELL MYSELF!" he loudly exclaimed before moving his humongous wings.

Roxas and Lea stood their guard as more Heartless appeared flying from behind the Hellhound's wings. Some of them appeared to be hooded skeleton dragons, while others had quite feminine yet demonic looks, almost like succubi. Still, they spelled trouble for the group on the longboat.

"YIKES! THERE'RE MORE OF THEM!" Itchy screamed as he watched the flying Heartless descend upon the longboat.

"THIS IS BAD! REALLY BAD!" Charlie exclaimed.

Yet Roxas and Lea realized what the Hellhound's aims were. He wanted to overpower them on the longboat, which would enable him to swallow them whole. But both Keyblade-wielders knew better than to let him think he had the advantage here.

"Hey Roxas! Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lea asked him.

Roxas responded with a quick nod. "Yeah. This will take a toll on us. But it's only shot we have of escaping this monster and his minions. We can't afford to stay here and let him rein upon us!" he replied.

Neither Charlie nor Itchy had a clue of what was being discussed between the two friends. The canine duo approached them to learn about what their plans were.

"Are you guys planning something? I see that neither of you are scared in face of the danger we're in!" the German Shepherd wanted some answers.

"You two may wanna hold unto something and fast" Lea told Charlie, who then was surprised to hear what he was about to say. "Because like or not, we'll be in for one hell of a ride on the water" he added.

"We know what the Hellhound's game is. As such, we've no reason to stay here longer. That's why me and Lea are gonna use all our magic to get us outta here as quick as we can" Roxas chimed in.

Knowing better than to question their methods, Charlie clung to something on the longboat. He was fine with everything, as long as they would get away from the Hellhound.

Itchy remained confused. "Ummm….am I missing something here, boss?" the dachshund asked him.

"Grab onto something, Itchy! I've got a feeling something's bound to happen now" Charlie told him. Itchy did so without hesitation, yet he still wanted to know what would happen.

The Hellhound laughed, his reptile like tongue on full display for everyone to see. "ATTACK THEM, MY MINIONS! DRAG THEM ALL TO ME SO THAT I CAN SWALLOW THEM!" he commanded his Heartless-servants.

The dark creatures dived towards the longboat below them, both the hooded skeleton dragons and the succubi. They were all determined to capture the group and overpower them.

But amidst this commotion, Roxas and Lea readied themselves, gathering enough magic from their Keyblades. But this wasn't just any ordinary type of magic. Oh no, it was that of an element.

"Ready, Lea!?" Roxas asked him.

"Let's do this!" Lea responded.

As the Heartless above them started to dive towards them, Roxas and Lea released their magic, which was that of powerful winds. Their combined effort, made the longboat burst into a speed so fast. Without delay, they disappeared from sight, despite the Heartless trying to chase after them.

"No….they are….." Belladonna was scared as she could feel the fury of her master.

"NOOOOOOO! AFTER THEM! DO NOT LET THEM ESCAPE!" the Hellhound commanded his minions. "NOBODY LEAVES THE MAW! I AM THE RULER AROUND HERE! THOSE DIRTY MUTTS AND THOSE LOATHSOME KEY BEARERS WILL BE MINE!" his anger was on full display, seeing as how the environment around him reddened.

In the meantime, Charlie and Itchy screamed as they held onto the longboat for their lives. Roxas and Lea were each still giving their all to disappear from the Hellhound's sight. They continued releasing wind magic, the longboat never stopping as a result. However, the two friends seemed pleased with their results so far.

"We're finally out! But we gotta push on!" Roxas exclaimed.

"Already on it!" Lea responded.

* * *

_Inside a cell in the Forge Fortress, the Forgotten Realms_

Ever since he had been showed at an auction in the prison, Sora had been put back behind bars. But this time, he was not in the same cell as Dimitri, Akima and the others. Sora was trapped deep underground, where it was barley even light. However, the horrendous conditions were not what made the teenage boy fall into despair.

Sora realized that he was unable to call upon his Keyblade, and he had no idea why. On the other hand, he had been stunned to hear that Xion was in the Forgotten Realms as well. Still, the young boy felt hopeless, wishing that he could do something to help his friends, as well as saving some of the prisoners he had met.

Grabbing a rock, Sora angrily slammed it against the solid wall. But in the process, he lowered his head in defeat.

"I don't understand. Why can't I call upon my Keyblade?" Sora wondered, still trying to find the answer. "Was it that encounter with Yozora from when I vanished that resulted me in loosing it?" he continued.

Sometime after Xehanort's defeat, Sora had mysteriously been transformed into a dark city where he had encountered and battled a boy named Yozora. It had resulted in him emerging victorious. But after Yozora vanished into thin air, he found himself drifting into the endless darkness. It was then when he found himself trapped inside a capsule.

"All those events…..including recently with that vision of Vanitas…were they attempts to warn me about something? Damn it. That question still keeps eating up my mind" Sora cursed.

As he sat in the darkness and lamented his imprisonment, something occurred that completely changed he mood Sora was in.

Before he knew it, something was moving on the ground. Or perhaps more specifically, he saw a stone moving. The noise was enough for Sora to pay attention to what was going on. He wondered whether some evil creature had appeared out from the hole to attack him. Sora stood on his guard.

"Who's there?" he asked, only to see someone pop out of the hole in the ground.

"Easy there, kid. I'm not here to harm ya, trust me" the voice came from a strange-looking alien that had a weird nose and three long eyelashes. He was then trying to get up, yet he was somehow stuck in hole. "Argh. Not this again! I've been trying losing weight yet I still keep getting wider!" he complained as he was stuck.

"That's because you've neglected all the vegetables and eaten meat instead, Tek!" a familiar womanly voice could be heard underneath this alien. Sora immediately recognized it.  
"Shut up, Akima! Just help the others in pushing me up!" the guy named Tek berated her. He managed to pull himself out eventually. He got on his knees, yet he looked as if he was blind. Sora could even tell that by looking at his face. "Ah, crud! Where's the wall? I need some help in getting up on my feet!" he then asked.

Sora was awed, as Akima Kunimoto suddenly appeared out of the hole in the floor. She rolled her eyes in seeing what Tek was doing.

"Come on, you're not completely blind. You can do this on your own" she told him before turning her gaze to Sora. Akima smiled. "Hello there, Sora. Fancy seeing you here" she told him.

"Akima….." Sora couldn't believe his eyes. But as the young woman got up from the hole, more people emerged out of it. There was this man named Dimitri Antonov, the young girl named Anne-Marie and the small dinosaur named Ducky. "Dimitri. Anne-Marie. Ducky. You're here too!?" Sora was happy to see them as well.

Dimitri waved his hand at him in a laidback manner. "Hey there, Sora. Did you miss us?" the con artist spoke.

Rather than responding, Sora weakly nodded his head in return. But he was soon embraced in a tight hug by Anne-Marie and Ducky.

"SORA!" the two said in unison.

"Woah! Take it easy, girls! I'm fine!" Sora hugged Anne-Marie back while patting Ducky's head. "And see that you two are okay as well" he then remarked.

"Yes. I'm okay. I've always been. Yep, yep, yep" Ducky insisted, uttering out her usual catchphrase.

Anne-Marie spun around, showing Sora that she had no injuries. "Me too! Those mean guards has never harmed me at all" the black-haired girl said.

Seeing how the along with Dimitri and Akima were doing okay, Sora had to smile weakly. But something struck the Key Bearer's mind.

"Wait a second. Weren't you all locked up in a different cell? I mean…..what's really going on here…" he had so many questions.

Tek got up on his feet and approached Sora. "Well, it's a long story. But let just say that we prisoners of Forge Fortress have found ourselves a "way" to travel through this building" he said.

"He's right. Unbeknownst to Warden Gilgamesh and his staff, the mice he's imprisoned have in secret created a series of underground tunnels from each cell to below. Their digging expertise certainly is handy" Akima spoke up.

Sora was still at loss for words. "Underground tunnels? But….how doesn't the guards know anything about these?" he then asked.

Tek chuckled in amusement. "I'll explain everything to you later. But right now, it would be best if you came with us. You see, someone in the Burrow, which is underneath the fortress itself, wishes to see you" he revealed.

The teenage boy was confused. "Me? But that doesn't make any sense….and what kind of place is this Burrow…" Sora didn't quite feel like he could go there.

"All will be revealed in time" a voice suddenly came from a small being dressed in a pointy hat. Sora immediately recognized this guy, as his face was all dark with only his golden eyes visible. And rest assured, he was no Heartless. "But what I can confirm, is that the Burrow is the only place where we prisoners find comfort, away from the eyes of our captors" he added.

"You're…the guy from Twilight Town…..I can't believe it…." Sora was speechless.

The creature nodded his head in return. "Indeed. My name is Vivi Ornitier. In the past, I associated myself with common crooks. But now, I'm just a humble Black Mage trying to correct my wrongs" he told him about his name.

"Wow…..I sure keep running into guys I've met…" Sora remarked.

"You're probably wandering why we're all here. Well you see, me, Akima, Dimitri and Tek are in secret aligned with a former member of the Rain Lily Resistance, who has since been captured like all of us" Vivi suddenly spoke up. "From what I gather, you and him share some history together. A swordsman dressed in red, with a scar running across his right eye" the magician added.

Sora took his time to think, yet it didn't take long before his memories started coming back to him.

"It can't be…..is it really him?" Sora stammered.

Dimitri nodded his head. "When we mentioned you to him, he quickly seemed to recognize you. He then told us to come find you and bring you down to the Burrow" he told him.

"Come with us, Sora. There's a lot you will learn about from meeting other convicts like us" Akima encouraged Sora.

"Yeah, we've really missed you" Anne-Marie suddenly exclaimed while holding Sora's right hand.

Realizing how he could possibly start finding his way in this world with the help of some old and new friends, Sora agreed to it.

"Alright. Then I'll go with you" he told them. "But the only question is how we do that without letting…." Sora was stunned when Vivi began making something with his staff.

The teenage boy was speechless, as a direct mirror image of himself was created. Right now, the copy was sitting against the wall as if despair was taking hold over him.

"Woah….." Sora was speechless. "So that's how you're able to move without getting noticed" he remarked while looking at Vivi.

"These images may be able to fool the guards. But once you touch them, you will notice how it is false. That's why it's important to not stay away from our cells too long" Vivi informed Sora. The tiny magician then stood by the hole they came from. "That said, it's time to leave this cell. I will volunteer in going down last" he then told them.

Akima and Dimitri looked at Tek, the half-blind alien wondering why they did that.

"Okay, Tek. Since you're the fattest, I say you go first" Dimitri said, much to the humor of Anne-Marie, Ducky and even Sora.

"Very funny. But try mocking me once you've reached my age!" Tek hit back, starting to force himself through the hole. And not surprisingly, he encountered problems. "Dang it! I'm stuck again!" he complained.

Akima and Dimitri helped him push through the hole by standing on his shoulders. They managed to get him through in the end.

"No more meat for you, Tek" Akima jokingly said before directing her attention towards Sora. "Alright, Sora. You go down first. We'll be right behind you" she then insisted to him.

Sora did that, climbing down the hole with zero difficulties. Being slim had it benefits. He got down to a narrow hallway, which reminded him of a crypt. It looked quite dark, as he couldn't see the way.

"Man…did the mice actually create all this?" Sora wondered, admitting how impressive they were.

When Anne-Marie and the others got down the hole, Vivi appeared last. He then put the rock back to tis place so that nobody would suspect someone had entered the cell. Given how he was the magician, Vivi used some of his magic to create a bright light with his staff. The small creature even took the initiative to go first with Tek following.

"Follow me. My staff will light our way to the Burrow" Vivi encouraged the entourage.

"And try not to move too much in here. These chambers aren't necessarily stable" Tek told them.

Akima had to scoff at his statement. "Yeah, like we need to worry about the wideness of our bodies" she remarked, earning her a glare from Tek. "Alright. I take it back. Sorry" the young woman then retracted her statement.

"Hmph. Kids these days have no respect for their elders" Tek grumbled as he led Sora and the others through the hallway.

Sora could only wonder what this Burrow was. Hopefully, he would get the opportunity to regroup with a friend he had encountered on one of his many journeys throughout the universe.

_To be continued….._


	8. Disharmony and Disunity

**DISHARMONY AND DISUNITY**

* * *

_Somewhere beneath the surface, the Forgotten Realms_

This place where a civilization of rats lived, was led by an enigmatic leader named Nicodemus. The ancient rat now sat on his throne, but he was not alone. Despite his frail age, Nicodemus was wiser beyond imagination.

As he sat alone by himself in the throne room, the old rat opened his golden eyes as if he was expecting someone to arrive in his throne room. Nicodemus smiled, given that he was expecting this kind of visit.

And yes, someone did appear in his throne room. It was a small cat-like creature with grey fur and blue eyes. It wore a white cape and a pink purse hanging around it. But one could never tell whether this thing was a male or a female. It was a Dream Eater, specifically a Chirithy. Needless to say, it was genderless.

Seeing the Chirithy made Nicodemus stand up from his throne and walk towards it. He seemed very pleased to see it.

"Welcome to NIMH, Dream Eater. I have been expecting you" Nicodemus humbly spoke up.

The Chirithy nodded its head in reply. "The honor is mine, Nicodemus. I would like to start first by apologizing for the late arrival. There was a few things I had to take care of before I came to the Forgotten Realms" the small creature spoke, shaking paws with the ancient rat. "With that said, I can only assume that _they_ have arrived in the Forgotten Realms" it then spoke up.

"Indeed. Me and the Great Owl used both of our powers to bring them all here. But sadly, we could not bring them all together. It would have taken a toll on our bodies. Therefore, we could only bring them all here" Nicodemus spoke up, closing his golden eyes to see an inner picture. "Even now, the Great Owl himself is now resting to recuperate. But in time, his strength will be gathered" he added while pacing with the Chirithy.

"That's perfectly fine. You both did wonderful. Hadn't it been for you, even I would have failed to find where Sora was" the Dream Eater responded, feeling somewhat disheartened. "I regret that I did not do more in order to help his friends. But the Foretellers needed my assistance" it then said.

Nicodemus seemed to agree with the Chirithy. "Indeed. And you were right to help them. After all, the Drej Queen almost succeeded in acquiring that infernal box. But I hear that the Foretellers had some unexpected assistance from an evil fairy" he remarked.

"I know. And as much as I despise the fact that Maleficent would aid us…..I now realize that her fears were legitimate. This Susquehana is unlike anything I've ever seen. She's been seeking out worlds…..destroyed them…..all for the sake of collecting something" the Chirithy expressed its concerns with the alien queen.

"That thing is responsible for countless loss of lives. However, she is not the only one responsible for the manufacturing of the Heartless in this world. In the depths of the Maw, lies the monstrosity known as the Hellhound. But I still have difficulties in understanding what kind of relationship exists between it and Susquehana. Nevertheless, it is safe to assume that they are not allies" Nicodemus revealed, yet there were more troubling things on his mind. "And then there is the corruption growing behind the walls of Nocturnal Reserve. Heartless has been spotted in the city. Yet the Clover Council tolerates it" the ancient rat added.

The Chirithy nodded its head in agreement. "Yes. That is unfortunate. But luckily, this Rain Lilly Resistance led by Cloud Strife and Squall Leonhart are the only ones standing up to these corrupted men. And hopefully, with the help of these Key Bearers, they stand a chance of victory" it remarked.

Nicodemus and the Chirithy approached the magic book which could show them everything. So far, the ancient rat had strived to find out more about the reason why Susquehana was seeking these Kingdom Hearts.

"No matter how many times I try, I still cannot find a reason for why the Drej Queen would be interested in the Kingdom Hearts. But fortunately, the book has spoken of certain things that could prove valuable to our efforts" Nicodemus spoke.

The two then looked down at the opened page, seeing several names that were written. Not surprisingly, the Great Owl was among them. But there was someone else listed there.

_The Great Owl_

_The Snow Fox_

_The Nursery Magic Fairy_

_The Elder Gaoul_

"I have heard of those individuals. From what I gather, they each were considered the wisest of their respective worlds…...before Susquehana destroyed them" the Chirithy spoke up.

"Indeed. The Great Owl is currently resting and will return to the surface world soon enough. The Snow Fox lives among the snowy tops of the Shivering Peaks. The Elder Gaoul lives on a secluded island on the Maw along with his people. But sadly, I do not know where the Nursery Magic Fairy is. She has not been seen for a long time" Nicodemus remarked before looking at the previous page to see what was written there. "I have a feeling that the reason those names appeared on my book…..is because they all know who these Five Keyblade Princesses are, as well as why Susquehana desires the Kingdom Hearts" he then added.

The Dream Eater realized what it had to do. "Then I best start my journey. I must find Ventus and warn him and the others about what they stand against. Forgive me if my stay here was too short, Nicodemus" it told him, yet the ancient rat only mused to himself.

"Not at all, my friend. At this rate, it is time for all of us to start moving. I wish you luck on your journey. But tread with caution. Because of Susquehana's corruption, Dream Eaters like yourself are easily vulnerable to her corruption" Nicodemus informed the creature.

"Have no fear, wise Nicodemus. I will make sure that I will survive. Until we meet again, a fond farewell" those were the last words before Chirithy disappeared from sight.

Having bid farewell with a friend of his, Nicodemus resumed to reading his magical book. He hoped to find some clues about these strangers, let alone the Five Keyblade Princesses. As he was in the middle of reading, a knock came on the door to the throne room. The ancient rat didn't move his head, yet he still responded by speaking.

"You may enter" Nicodemus told whoever was outside.

Inside the throne room came a young brown-furred rat dressed stood by the doors. From the look of his appearance, he seemed awfully gentle.

"Nicodemus. The boats are ready and waiting. We can leave at any time. I just wanted to let you know" the rat informed the enigmatic leader.

A weak smile crept on Nicodemus' lips. "I see. Well done, Justin. Inform the others that I will come down shortly" he told the rat named Justin.

Justin formally nodded his head in return. "I will, sir. Take your time" he responded, leaving Nicodemus all by himself.

The ancient rat moved over and browsed several pages of his magical book, hoping to find some answers in them. As Nicodemus did that, he was reminded about Mrs. Brisby, given that he had entrusted her with an important message. As much as he had confidence in the mouse, a part of him felt very concerned about how dangerous her journey would be.

"Mrs. Brisby. I can only hope that you will find your way to Nocturnal Reserve. But the journey through the Thorny Maze is dangerous" Nicodemus commented, only closing his golden eyes as if he was reminiscing about something. "While he may not be affiliated with the Drej Queen, the Grand Duke of Owls is a force to be reckoned with in that cursed forest. He and his kin have toyed with dark magic, resulting in them creating their own minions of Heartless. Stay strong, young one. You will reach the place and find your family there" he expressed his hope for the young mother.

* * *

_Inside the towering building called the Palace of Babel, Nocturnal Reserve, the Forgotten Realms_

The Palace of Babel was the most imposing of all in Nocturnal Reserve. It was the seat of power of the infamous rulers of the city: the Clover Council. Inside what appeared to be a throne room, all its members had each a seat and were gazing upon whatever subjects that could be found in service of the councilors.

Sitting in the middle of them all was the supposed leader of the Clover Council: Chancellor Vayne Carudas Solidor. He was dressed as if he was an emperor, decorating himself with a long green cape. This made him look more of a monarch than that of a chancellor.

To his right and left sat two other members of the council. Sitting to his right were Councilor Cid Raines and Councilor Jihl Nabaat. Cid was the one dressed in silver, while Jihl was the only female member of the council. She was dressed in green and had long, blonde hair. Sitting to Vayne's left were Councilor Loqi Tummelt and Councilor Ravus Nox Fleuret. Loqi was the man dressed in black, while Ravus was the one dressed in white.

And right now, they were now hearing the concerns of several members of the city guard. It was the trio consisting of Seifer Almasy, Fuu and Rai. Apparently, they had been granted audience with the Clover Council for a specific reason. The trio seemed to have something to report.

"How fascinating" Loqi remarked as he looked at the trio of guards. "You're telling us that you fought several Key Bearers?" he asked them, feeling awfully curious.

"Yeah! Those guys we fought were legit Key Bearers! They were carrying those weird-ass blades, you know!" Rai exclaimed.

"So true" Fuu spoke in agreement of her comrade.

"Well, then you should've been able to handle them fine. Did you lose to them?" Jihl questioned them sternly.

Rai felt very offended by the councilor's statement, so he went on the defensive against her. "Duh! They were too strong for us! We could've taken them if…" the muscular boy was interrupted by Seifer and Fuu.

"Shut up, Rai! You're making us look bad!" Seifer lowly scolded him, with Fuu covering Rai's mouth.

"Dumbass!" Fuu whispered, insulting her comrade.

"I've heard enough of you!" the loud voice came from Vayne. The trio looked to see the chancellor standing up from his seat. "Impudent fools! You let those Key Bearers escape, when you should have captured them!" he rebuked them.

Seifer felt himself getting scolded for unfair reasons. "It's my fault these two weaklings couldn't handle their opponents! It was just me against that trio" he tried defending himself.

Cid mused to himself. "But you also ran away. Doesn't that mean you let them escape as well, Seifer Almasy?" he bluntly pointed out to the young guard.

Still, it made Seifer filled with spite towards the councilor. "You weren't there when the fight happened! So back off, you…." Seifer's mouth was covered by Rai's hand, so that he would stop throwing more insults.

"Dude! You can't say stuff like that! He's one of the councilors, y'know!" Rai whispered into his friend.

Feeling disappointed by their efforts, Vayne returned to his seat. He rubbed his face to show his dismay over what he had listened to so far.

"This is why I opposed hiring mercenaries into the city guard. They are as dependable as Moogles!" Vayne grumbled, only to look over at Loqi. "I blame you for this poor suggestion, Loqi!" he berated the councilor.

But Loqi seemed unfazed by this. "With all due respect, chancellor. The entire Clover Council was in agreement of this policy, yourself included" he said nonchalantly.

"That's all in the past, Loqi. None of us were aware of the incompetence these three possessed when we admitted them into the order" Ravus said, turning his attention towards the trio. "That said, I recommend we dismiss these misfits at once. They bring nothing but bad energy to the city guard" he then said suggested.

Vayne seemed to like that idea. "Very well, then let's take a vote. All in favor of dismissing Seifer Almasy and his cohorts of the city guard?" the chancellor asked while raising his hand.

"Aye!" Ravus, Cid and Jihl said in unison while raising their hands. Loqi was the only one who didn't, indicating that he supported retaining the trio in the order….to some extent.

Still, the majority had spoken and it didn't look good for Seifer and his comrades.

"Wait! Just give us a chance to…." Seifer stopped speaking when several guards began pointing their weapons at them.

Vayne rose up from his seat, facing the trio with dispassion. "Seifer Almasy. The Clover Council has spoken. You are hereby dismissed from the city guard. Leave this palace, now!" the chancellor told them.

Realizing how useless it was for them to resist, Seifer and his comrades turned around and walked out of the hall. There were guards everywhere, so any attempts to attack the Clover Council was fruitless. On the other hand, it looked as if the trio was leaving the hall out of humiliation.

Either way, the five leaders seemed pleased by the results. And now they directed their attentions to a middle-aged man with brown hair, blue eyes and a scarred face that knelt before them.

"Ah, Captain of the Kingsglaive: Titus Drautos. It's fortunate that you are a man we can rely upon" Vayne spoke very highly of him.

Titus rose up and gazed at his superiors. "I live only to serve you, chancellor" he informed him.

"What news do you have to share with us?" Jihl asked.

Titus made sure that nobody was listening, yet he knew he was safe inside this hall. "I bring you some information regarding our double-agent: Setzer Gabbiani. He says that he encountered a young man wielding a strange weapon at the harbor. From what he told me, that weapon seemed awfully like a Keyblade" the captain revealed.

This brought gasps to the Clover Council. "What? Another Key Bearer in Nocturnal Reserve? But why didn't that mercenary capture them?" Ravus snapped.

"I asked him the same question you did, councilor. But you know how mercenaries are. They do as they please, only if the interests are paying for them" Titus revealed.

"Argh! Damn those unreliable mercenaries! I offer them all kinds of riches and benefits, yet this is how they repay me!?" Vayne expressed his outrage.

Loqi looked at the chancellor. "Peace, chancellor. Setzer may have hade a reason for not dealing with them outright. Do not forget, he's been doing some spying for us inside the Canasta Casino" the councilor pointed out.

This made Vayne calm himself, as he knew what that place was. "Of course. That hideous place beneath the city. A paradise for nothing but scoundrels and mercenaries alike" he said, yet he was not finished speaking. He even directed his attention upon Titus. "But let's ignore him for now, I want increased patrols throughout the city! Find any Key Bearer and bring him to the Palace of Babel. I don't want their potentiality to be wasted on the likes of the Rain Lily Resistance!" he then commanded the captain.

Titus saluted before him in return. "As you command, Your Excellency" he responded before leaving the hall.

Ravus looked at his fellow councilors. "What now? Do we still need to rely upon greedy crime lords to keep the order in the city?" he asked, feeling somewhat dissatisfied. "You all know what I'm speaking of. Heartless are spotted behind the city walls. Yet we still rely upon the crime lords to do our bidding. And look where that has gotten us! Nothing!" he was specifically targeting the chancellor with this criticism.

"All in due time, Ravus" Cid told him, making sure his fellow councilors listened as well. "Considering the circumstances, it does not hurt fighting evil with evil. And we must not forget, Warren T. Cat, Carface Carruthers and other similar scoundrels are easy to control, unlike some others I could name" the man dressed in white told them.

Loqi rubbed his face as he heard that. "We all know that. If we have those on our side, it will help us against the strongest crime lord in this damn city. The same guy who's currently holding up at the Canasta Casino: Ardyn Izunia" he remarked.

Hearing this brought nothing but a scowl upon Vayne's lips. "That bastard! Whatever schemes he's planning, I will not let that usurper take my place! And neither will that monstrous Drej Queen! Nocturnal Reserve is mine!" he snapped, forgetting about the fact how he was sharing rule of the city with the councilors.

But clearly, Vayne didn't seem to care. While he carried the title of chancellor, he desired a higher more befitting one for someone of royal origins. There was another title he really wanted. But what was it?

* * *

_Somewhere in the sewers below Nocturnal Reserve, the Forgotten Realms_

Xion, having been transported to these sewers, had all been confused about where she had arrived at. But a cry for help that convinced the black-haired girl to go and see what it was. Three mice had been captured by a greedy criminal called Warren T. Cat. And he was possession of some Heartless-bodyguards, much to Xion's shock.

Still, she defeated those dark creatures. This led Warren to escape, thus enabling Xion to free the captured mice. Their names were Fievel Mousekewitz, Tony Toponi and Bridget. For some reason, Warren had captured them in order to gain some information about the whereabouts of a Great Owl.

After listening to how Fievel was all alone and how he had been separated from his family, Xion decided to help the young mouse find them. She could sympathize with how Fievel was not feeling where he belonged and wanted to be reunited with his family.

Ever since then, Xion had tried navigating through these sewers. In the meantime, she learned more about these Forgotten Realms, as well as Nocturnal Reserve. The young Keyblade-wielder had been horrified to hear the story the mice were telling her.

"You're saying all the mice were forced into slavery?" Xion asked them, having decided to rest from finding their way out.

"Yeah. Those nasty folks of the Clover Council saw us as faster laborers. And mice are endless" Tony revealed, he then looked over at Fievel, who was still feeling quite sad over the situation he was in. "And of course, Filly's family are being kept there as well" he then added.

Fortunately for Fievel, Bridget sat beside him. The well-mannered mouse tried her best in comforting Fievel.

"There, there, lad. We'll find yer family. I promise you" Bridget told the younger mouse.

Fievel was sniffing as he tried staying strong. But given how young he was, it was difficult. "I've been away from my family for too long. And I still don't know where to find them" he said.

Tony immediately got over to his side. "Don't ever say that, Filly. We know where to find them. They, along with the rest of the mice, are being held captive inside the Forge Fortress. But nobody gets inside that place so easily" the streetwise mouse answered.

"Aye. The Forge Fortress possesses security that even we have no knowledge of" Brigdet joined in on the conversation.

Xion could only stand and listen to the mice telling her about this place. She really wanted to help Fievel getting back with his family. That was where he belonged. Somehow, Xion could see some similarities between herself and Fievel. But the Keyblade-wielder wondered about how they could break into the Forge Fortress. Another problem was given how she alone would be able to stand against an army of guards. But something hit in her head as she thought about numbers.

"Hey, Tony. Didn't you tell me earlier about some resistance-movement here in this city?" Xion asked him.

He began pondering what he knew. "I've only heard rumors going on around the streets. But from what I managed to hear, two guards were ramblin' about some group calling themselves the Rain Lily Resistance" Tony answered, still unsure whether to believe they were true. "Quite an odd name for a movement. But I still…" Tony was interrupted with Bridget hugging him.

"Oh, Tony. You're a genius! This Rain Lily Resistance may be the answer we're looking for!" she squealed, never letting go of her boyfriend.

"Hey, hey! Quit squishing me, will ya!?" Tony said annoyingly.

Xion felt she had gotten enough info. "Then that settles it!" she suddenly declared, much to the confusion of the three mice below her. However, she reached her hand down to Fievel, so that he could sit upon it. The young girl then looked at the teary mouse with a sweet expression. "Don't give up hope just yet, Fievel. I still wanna help you find your family. But given how few we are, its best if we find some allies. But rest assured, we'll find a way to free your family" she told Fievel.

For some reason, the tears on the young mouse's eyes had washed away. This indicated in how his spirits had been lifted by Xion's words.

"You really mean it?" he asked, feeling very optimistic all of a sudden.

Xion nodded his head at him in return. "Absolutely" she said, letting Fievel sit upon her left shoulder. "I say we get moving. The sooner we're out of these sewers, then the quicker our search for this Rain Lily Resistance can begin" Xion told both Tony and Bridget.

"You got it, ma'am!" Tony replied, starting to lead the way with Bridget catching on. "This way! If I remember correctly, this will take us out this stinking place" he then recalled what he understood.

"Then we better hurry. I can't stand being here for much longer" Bridget expressed her desire to leave these sewers.

Entering a large pipe, the group walked through it. Along the way, Xion looked both ways, making sure that nobody was following them. Yet nobody could be seen, much to her relief.

Once they reached the end of the pipe, Xion and the mice were treated to a view like they had never seen before. They had arrived at appeared to be a shady civilization built on water. But given how deep this environment was, it was safe to say that they were still underground, to some extent.

"What in the world….." Xion was stunned, seeing as how these buildings were built upon platforms that stood tall above the water below them. She and the mice then jumped over from the edge of the pipe to what appeared to be a lookout tower. "I've never seen anything like this. Have you?" she then asked the mice.

All of them shook their heads in return. "I haven't. But for some reason, I get a bad feeling about this place" Fievel remarked, feeling a little anxious.

"But look on the bright side. At least we're out of the sewers. Isn't that a good thing?" Tony pointed out.

"True, but yer missing a point here, Tony. We're still underground" Bridget said.

Xion, realizing how they still needed to find their way out, climbed down the watchtower. She and her friends then came down to street level, in which all the platforms were connected via bridges or something else. Still, it was a weird layout for being a place of civilization.

Walking around, Xion and the mice were treated to an unpleasant view of the local people in this shady town. There were a couple of bulking frogs that were arm wrestling. Several trolls were playing some dice. And last but not least, there were cats and dogs smoking and drinking.

Fievel, Tony and Bridget all hung upon Xion, afraid that they would get spotted by the cats.

"There are cats everywhere!" Fievel stammered as he got close to Xion.

"I'll say. I'd never imagined we'd run into a place filled with those bullies" Tony said in agreement of his friend.

"Don't worry. As long as you're with me, you'll be safe. None of those cats will bother getting near me" Xion assured them.

"I hope so. I pray that we won't run into that scoundrel Warren T. Cat" Bridget hoped.

But as much as Xion did her best to keep her guard up, she was too distracted by the sights and the stares she was being given to by the denizens. That made the black-haired girl lose focus, and she accidentally bumped into someone's back.

The teenager and her mice friends were shocked, as a hulking bear-looking alien turned around and glared Xion with an angered expression.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, ya twerp!" he rudely told Xion.

Xion didn't respond, yet Tony had the audacity to do so.

"Who're you calling a twerp, you big, fat bully!?" the brash mouse did the unthinkable.

That really made the alien angry. "What did you say!?" he angrily demanded.

Xion backed away, only to bump into someone's stomach. The teenager and her mice friends all snapped, seeing another alien. This one had the appearance of a snail, with his tendril-like arms and two pair of legs being on full display.

"Where do you think you're goin'?" he asked them. He then looked over to the other alien. "Hey, Firrikash. What's the big idea?" he spoke with him.

The alien named Firrikash pointed a finger at Xion. "That stupid girl bumped into me! And that little pet of hers called me names!" he explained, only to start cracking his knuckles. "What do you say we teach them a lesson, Po?" he addressed the other alien by his name.

Po smirked in return. "Sounds like fun! Count me in!" he exclaimed in return.

Xion didn't know how she had gotten herself into this mess. Yet she still felt like there was a chance for her to deescalate things.

"Wait! This is all a great misunderstanding! I apologize for bumping into you!" Xion told Firrikash.

But the bulky alien was unmoved by her apology. "Too late for that, girly!" he growled in return.

Fievel was very concerned. "Oh no, they're going to attack us…" he stammered while hiding behind Xion.

Bridget glanced at Tony dispassionately, which made him wonder why.

"What?" Tony asked her.

"Ye always have te run your mouth and get us into trouble, do you?" Bridged huffed, feeling disappointed in him.

But Tony shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I was only trying to stick it up for Xion!" he defended himself.

The Keyblade-wielder knew that there was no option but to fight now. She truly didn't wish to cause much a scene. But given how neither Firrikash nor Po were willing to walk away, she was backed against the wall.

"Now then. Any last words before we pound you!?" Po threateningly asked.

"Now what's going on here!?" an elderly female voice could be heard and it surprisingly made both aliens cease their aggressiveness. They looked shocked to see who had approached them from the sidelines.

It was an obese, old woman with long white hair. Needles to say, she was a witch. And she looked quite grumpy.

"Oh, it's you two bullies again" she expressed her annoyance in a deep Russian accent.

"B-B-BABA YAGA!" Po stammered, someone as strong as him trembling before a woman smaller than him.

Baba Yaga put her hands on her hips observing in how Xion stood in the middle of the two bullying aliens. "What are you doing to this poor, young lady? Have you charlatans no manners at all?" she questioned them.

"N-no! This is all a great misunderstanding!" Firrikash spoke up, trying his best to come up with a lie. The alien even went further by "patting" Xion's head in a supposedly friendly manner. "This girl here just asked us for directions so I was about to…" the alien didn't get to finish his lie.

"GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I TURN YOU INTO FROGS!" Baba Yaga snapped.

Feeling very intimidated by her threats, Po and Firrikash did as she wished and scrammed without even saying goodbye.

Xion was dumbfounded with what had just happened. Even so, Baba Yaga had rescued her and the mice. She looked at the elderly woman, feeling awfully suspicious and curious at the same time. Fievel, Tony and Bridget all hid behind her.

"Umm…..thank you" Xion uttered out enough courage to speak. "To be honest, I really didn't have no desire to fight them" the black-haired girl admitted.

The witch responded to her by laughing at what had just happened. "Oh, don't pay attention to those two nincompoops. Po and Firrikish are not the brightest fellows around here in the Claymore Catacombs" she told Xion in a surprisingly friendly manner.

"The Claymore Catacombs? What's that?" Xion asked.

"Why, it's the place we're standing in, young lady. Look around. Everything here, is the Claymore Catacombs" Baba Yaga pointed out. "I can only assume that you are not from around here, let alone Nocturnal Reserve" the witch then remarked.

Xion nodded her head in return. "That's about right. And me and my friends here are looking for a way out of here and return to the surface. You see, we need to make contact with the Rain Lily Resistance so that….." the Keyblade-wielder was shushed by Baba Yaga, as she covered her mouth.

For some reason, the witch looked around to see if anyone was watching them. Everything seemed safe so far.

"Careful what you say, child. The Claymore Catacombs is where the most notorious criminals of Nocturnal Reserve dwells. You shouldn't speak of such things so openly" Baba Yaga whispered, yet her expression soon softened. "That being said, it would be best if you and your rodent friends came with me to my hut. There we can talk about everything without having to be so secretive" the witch then suggested.

Seeing the merit in her words, not to mention how Baba Yaga literally saved her the trouble of causing a scene, Xion agreed to accompany her.

"Very well. We'll come with you" Xion said, yet she had to make sure her friends were safe with that choice. "Given what she just did, I believe we can trust her" the Keyblade-wielder told them.

Fievel and Bridget seemed to be in agreement. Yet for some reason, Tony was uncomfortable. Still they followed the witch, hoping that her place would at least offer some shelter in this hostile environment.

"Oh, dear. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Baba Yaga. They call me the Witch of the Iron Forest" she introduced herself to Xion and the mice. The witch then looked at the teenage girl. "What is your name, youngster?" she asked her.

"My name's Xion. And these are my friends, Fievel, Tony and Bridget" she replied.

Baba Yaga had to laugh in hearing this. "Ohohoho, interesting friends you have, Xion" she remarked, yet the witch was not finished speaking. "But that is to be expected. You are one of the rare Key Bearers after all" the elderly woman suddenly revealed.

Hearing that made Xion freeze in her tracks. The teenage girl was stunned to have heard Baba Yaga refer to her as such. Perhaps there was more to this witch than Xion could ever imagine.

"How do you know about….." Xion stammered.

"Save your questions for later. My hut will be a place where we can talk freely without getting anyone suspicious" Baba Yaga responded, guiding the group towards her home.

Tony, still feeling uneasy, was now realizing what place they had arrived at. "The Claymore Catacombs….this is bad…really bad!" he thought, his mind drifting to a specific individual. "It's where the Canasta Casino lies…and where the most powerful and dangerous crime lord in Nocturnal Reserve resides…." Tony added, recognizing the danger they were in.

_To be continued….._


	9. Finding Sanctuary

**FINDING SANCTUARY**

* * *

_Inside a crowded building, somewhere in the alleys of Nocturnal Reserve, the Forgotten Realms_.

The many Key Bearers, having arrived at different locations in this unfamiliar world, had no idea what to consider friend or foe. But with the presence of new types of Heartless, it was guaranteed that these Forgotten Realms were a world in danger.

Inside this building, Terra, Olette, Hayner and Pence had been brought there to meet up with the so-called "Rain Lily Resistance". These group of loose fighters had banded together in order to stand against the Clover Council and their disastrous rule of Nocturnal Reserve. From what they all gathered, some of these people were friends of Sora.

And not only that, Isa had already been brought to this secret hideout first by them.

"I was stranded in the busy streets. That's when this "Leon" found me" he said while directing his gaze upon the brown-haired man.

It appeared that Leon along with Cloud Strife were the leaders of this resistance. As such, they had managed to bring lots of dissenting voices into their fold. Even now, each member took their turns to introduce themselves to the Key Bearers.

"As all of you already know, my true name is Squall Leonhart. But given my reputation throughout the universe, I go by the name Leon. Think of it as a incognito" the brown-haired man explained. He then looked over to his friends, starting with the swordsman leaning against the wall. "These people are my comrades. We have each met Sora. He has been a great help to us in the past" Leon continued.

"I'm Cloud Strife" the swordsman who was leaning against the wall spoke up, not being much of a talker.

A young woman who stood near him shook her head at his antics. "Not much a talker like always" she remarked before facing the Key Bearers. "Anyway, I'm Tifa Lockheart. It's a pleasure to meet you, Key Bearers" she introduced herself.

"And I'm Aerith Gainsborough" the kind-hearted woman told them all.

A young girl with a black headband was feeling very enthusiastic in showcasing her skills for these Key Bearers. "You can call me Yuffie Kisaragi! It's nice to meet all of ya!" she told them with so much spirit.

"I'm Cid Highwind. Which of course does NOT make me related to either Cid Raines or Cain Highwind…sorry, just trying to clarify myself. Forget I even said anything" the smoking mechanical scientist tried explaining his outburst.

Having been introduced to these people, Terra and the others were more than convinced that these people could be trusted. They also started to learn more about how they had gotten to these Forgotten Realms. Furthermore, they started to learn about Sora and the fact that he was in this world.

"I see" Terra spoke up. "You say that this Nicodemus summoned us all here after you told him about us?" he asked them.

"Indeed. For some reason, we have experienced losses of memories, especially when it comes to Sora" Leon told them. "But when we discovered him being taken to the Forge Fortress, it was then our memories of him came back to us. And it also explains how things have changed" he remarked.

"But what are you guys doing here in Nocturnal Reserve, anyway? From what Sora, Kairi and Riku told us, you guys live in this Hollow Bastion…...I mean Radiant Garden" Hayner bluntly asked them.

For some reason, sad looks began forming on the faces of Yuffie, Aerith and Tifa. In response to seeing that, Olette slapped Hayner's head.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Hayner asked, much to the brunette's dispassion.

"Did you really have to ask them that? Just look at their faces" Olette pointed out.

Hayner rolled his eyes. "How was I supposed to…" he was interrupted by Aerith interjecting him.

"It's okay" Aerith tried ease things between the quarreling friends. "There's nothing wrong about asking us that. Because truth is…we did live in Radiant Garden once…...until it was destroyed" she revealed with so much hurt inside of her.

The Key Bearers couldn't believe their ears. "No.…...Radiant Garden…destroyed?" Terra asked, recalling back to the time he had visited the place once.

"Allow me to elaborate" Leon interjected while standing in the middle. "To make this story short, the disappearance of interdimensional foes such as Xeanhort and Maleficent paved the way for new threats to arise. But I would be foolish to even call the Drej Queen as such. She has been a threat in the universe the entire time, long before those two even started appearing. Yet we were too late to realize that" he told them.

"Nobody knows where that thing stems from. All that we know….is that it seeks to destroy worlds…in order to collect hearts….for what reason…..even we don't know" Aerith said, the young woman feeling terrified of thinking about such.

"This Drej Queen…was she the one who…." Terra's question was interjected by Cid.

"Do you even need to ask? Son, it's painfully obvious that of all the sickened individuals out in the universe, only one has had the guts to literally destroy entire worlds in order to "collect" their hearts" the mechanical scientist bluntly told him. "Hell, I risked piloting my ship to bring us all safe from that alien bitch! It cost me the job, but fortunately not my life!" Cid continued.

"Settle down, Cid! There's no need for hostility here!" Yuffie rebuked him, yet Cid didn't take her words for real.

"My bad…" he apologized sarcastically while puffing out some smoke from his cigarette. Cid then proceeded to walk towards his computers.

Yuffie then looked at Terra. "Don't listen to Cid. He's been like this ever since his ship got destroyed from fleeing the Drej" she insisted to the Key Bearer.

"Shut up, Yuffie. I don't even wanna hear it" the rude voice of Cid came in the background much to the annoyance of his friends.

Isa felt the need to change the subject here. "In other words. You have all taken refuge in these Forgotten Realms, which I believe is one of the few worlds that remain stable….as well as safe from the Drej Queen's clutches…...until recently" the blue-haired man inquired.

Tifa nodded her head. "Correct. And not just us. All those whose worlds have been destroyed has fled to this place. However, none of us expected to live in this dictatorship led by Vayne Carudas Solidor" the young woman said, clenching her fists tightly at even mentioning that man's name. "That snobbish bastard is leading us all to our doom. And with the Drej Queen establishing here…things are bound to get much worse!" she added.

"Which is the reason we created this Rain Lily Resistance" Cloud surprisingly joined in on the conversation. "We along with many other dissatisfied refugees created this resistance movement in order to not just dethrone the Clover Council, but also to make preparations for Susquehana and her plans on attacking Nocturnal Reserve" the swordsman added.

"Woah…so Susquehana is the name of this Drej Queen, huh? From what I can tell, she sounds like an emotionless killing machine" Pence remarked.

Cloud nodded his head as a yes. "That's true. And not only that…..she's gathered followers to assist her with whatever her goals are…..including HIM!" he was enraged when thinking about a certain individual that had joined Susquehana's side.

"Cloud….." Aerith called out to him, feeling the rage within that man.

Leon suddenly stepped forward, making sure all eyes were on him. "We have a lot to discuss. Furthermore, I know for a fact that we need to find a way to assemble the rest of you Key Bearers. But let's take this discussion at the headquarters below" he told everyone before opening a closet.

Inside it stood what appeared to be a sliding poll. Leon looked at the around to make sure that the windows were closed.

"Alright. Follow me down to HQ. And slide down one by one" Leon said before doing that, followed by Aerith and Yuffie.

"Hold up. You're saying that this cramped-up place isn't your HQ?" Hayner wondered aloud.

"Wrong, dumbass! This is our HQ! The only exception is that all operation happens underground" Cid rudely replied before grabbing onto the poll to slide himself.

Hayner shrugged his shoulders in return. "Geez, no need to get so hissy, old timer" he responded before doing the same thing.

This sliding poll took them all down to something very different from the room they had just been in. Everything around them was futuristic. There were computers and all sorts of machine currently running. The mere of such astounded the Key Bearers.

"Woah…" Pence was speechless at the sight. "This almost looks like that computer room inside that mansion back home…yet it's much bigger…" the round boy couldn't believe his own eyes.

Once again, Yuffie felt the need to welcome them to this place. "Surpised, Key Bearers? Well, you should be! Because this right here, is the Root" she spoke up, yet they were confused by the name of this place. "What? Isn't Root a cool name for a place like this?" Yuffie asked.

Olette found herself chuckle nervously. "Not when there's so much technology. Do you even know what a Root is?" the brunette asked her.

"A headquarters' name has little meaning" Isa bluntly told her, yet the others were hearing him as well. "The only thing that matters, is how it operates" he continued.

Leon was amused by Isa's answer. "Well said. I can tell that you have became a different person now that you're free of the Organization's influence" he remarked, yet Isa didn't show any emotion in return.

The Key Bearers then looked at the group of people that were in this room. Terra already recognized Anastasia Romanova and Cale Tucker. The Twilight Gang could see Joseph Korso and Vladimir Vasilovich.

"Ah, Mr. Leonhart" Vladimir, who was reading a book while chewing on something exclaimed at the surprise of their arrival.

Korso, who was smoking, also looked up to see the gang. "So, you finally brought the "key people" down to the Root. I was wondering when you would show up" he remarked.

Still, there were people they didn't recognize from before.

"There's some people you might not recognize from before. Well, they have also pledged themselves to the Rain Lily Resistance" Leon said while looking at the knight brandishing his sword while sitting at the corner. "That man there is Dirk the Daring. He may not look like it, but he's a formidable fighter once you get to know him" he introduced them to him.

Dirk looked up, not appreciating the tone of Leon. "Was that sarcastic or real!?" he wanted to know, only to change his attitude once he got a look at the Key Bearers. "Oh, hi there. My name's Dirk" he politely introduced himself.

But they were in for a surprise when a blast was headed towards Dirk. Fortunately, he was quick to dodge it by spreading his legs. The knight looked at the one who had fired it with anger.

"Hey! Watch where you're firing that thing!?" Dirk told him.

The one who shot the plasma gun appeared to be a blonde-haired teenage boy with black eyebrows dressed in a white spacesuit. Clearly, he had accidently fired at Dirk.

"Sorry! I just lost my balance! It's hard to use that thing you're just a boy!" he pointed out.

Leon, Cloud and the other shook their heads at him. "And this is another recruit: Dexter. He claims to be older than what he actually is" Yuffie told everyone.

Dexter looked at her angrily. "I've told you before! Call me Ace! And it's true that I really am an adult man. The reason I've been reduced to this is because of me being hit by the Infanto Ray by that meathead Borf!" he complained, yet it was no use since none of them took him seriously.

Cid was especially not too pleased. "I don't give a damn about who you were! Just get a better hold of that gun!" he berated him before calling out the names of several people. "Stith! Preed! Gune! Get your sorry alien asses over here! I want a word with you!" he called upon them.

Immediately, three aliens appeared. Stith was the female alien resembling a kangaroo, due to her long legs. Preed was the male alien resembling a bat due to his head and face. Gune was the small alien resembling a toad or a turtle.

"Why have you called out me? I was in the middle of locating our allies throughout the city just like you asked me to" Gune asked, feeling unfairly called out.

"That ain't the point! I called you all here just so you could meet these Key Bearers" Cid told them.

"Ah, so these are the "specialists" you and Korso mentioned? How delightful" Preed exclaimed before bowing his head in a formal manner. "A great pleasure to meet each of you. You may call me Preed" he introduced himself, trying to charm the Key Bearers.

"Uhhh…..okay" Olette remarked, finding Preed to be a strange fellow.

Gune adjusted his glasses, trying to get a better look at the group. He went as far as to get closer to Pence, eying him up and down.

"Hmm, aren't you a little out of shape to be wielding a Keyblade?" Gune asked before moving over to Terra and Isa. "These two fellas certainly seem qualified" the eccentric alien summarized.

"What!?" Pence asked, feeling very offended just now. "Hey! I'll have you know, I took down someone bulky near the marketplace not many hours ago, so don't judge a book by its cover!" the chubby boy hit back, yet the scientist was already busy studying Terra and Isa.

The alien named Stith rolled her eyes at what her comrade was doing. "That's enough, Gune. You're not making a good impression of yourself" she told him before facing the Key Bearers. "Anyway, I'm Stith. Here in the Root, I'm known as the weapon expert. The Rain Lily Resitance wouldn't have lasted long without me" she boasted pridefully.

Olette was stunned. "Woah….." she uttered out, making Stith satisfied. "I didn't know you were a woman….." the brunette said out of astonishment.

While those around her held their mouths to not laugh, Stith grew furious at Olette's statement.

"What was that!?" she said, almost on the verge of attacking her, only for Preed and Gune to hold her back.

"Now, now, Stith. She didn't mean it negatively. I think she was amazed to see a woman like you being a weapon expert!" Preed called out.

"Don't even start, Preed!" she hit back at him.

As Terra was amused by what he was seeing, he was surprised when he could hear a familiar voice calling to him from behind.

"Hey, what's all this fuzz about? Why didn't anybody inform me about the Key Bearers being here in the Root?" the voice came from a black-haired swordsman. The blade he was carrying behind his back was very similar to the one Cloud wielded. As soon as his eyes met Terra's, he froze. "Hold on a minute….is that really you, Terra!?" he exclaimed out in happiness.

The adult man approached him, wanting to get a better look at the swordsman. As he did that, Terra was reminded about his journeys throughout the worlds. He recalled meeting a certain swordsman who was training alongside Hercules once.

"It can't be….Zack?" Terra asked, surprised by how much he had grown.

Zack grinned as he playfully nudged the Key Bearer by his elbow. "I knew it was you! Woah, you've barley changed since the last time we met!" he remarked, bumping fists with Terra.

Terra smiled in return. "Well…..it's a bit complicated. But at least we're at the same size now" he spoke, causing Zack to laugh at him in return.

"You got that right!" Zack said positively before looking past him at the other Key Bearers. "Say, Terra. Where's Aqua and Ven? Weren't they with you when you came here?" he asked him.

"They did, albeit arriving at different locations" Cloud spoke up, facing Terra. "I understand that you along with Aqua and Ven have a history with Zack Fair" he told him.

Terra nodded his head as a yes. "Yeah….but it was long ago" the Key Bearer remarked while facing Coud and Zack standing together. "You two know each other?" he asked them.

In response, Zack put his right arm around Cloud's shoulder. "Got that right. Me and Cloud here have been friends for a long time. Hell, we even worked in the same group before we joined this Rain Lilly Resistance together" he told Terra.

Cid suddenly stepped in the middle of the group. "Alright! With introductions out of the way, I say we head over to the main computer. I gather that you folks wanna find the rest of your buddies, eh? Well, I say we go have a look at the giant computer" he motioned for everyone to follow him.

"Wait, you're saying that you can locate where Ven, Aqua and the others are?" Terra asked him, only for Leon to respond.

"That's right. As of now, they're all spread across the Forgotten Realms. And while we can locate them, we can't tell which one is where" Leon responded.

"Well, it's better than nothing, isn't it?" Olette chimed in.

Many of her friends were impressed by her optimism. The same could be said for the members of the Rain Lily Resistance.

"I like your spirit! We could use that a lot in these times" Yuffie remarked, admiring Olette's hopefulness.

Approaching the giant computer, Cid took to the keyboard, tapping on the many buttons. In time, the large screen showed a map of what appeared to be the Nocturnal Reserve. Already, several spots were constantly peeping and it signified that there was indeed Key Bearers.

"As of now, we have five Key Bearers here in the Root, which is you" Leon commented before looking back at the screen. "However, we now detect another signal here in Nocturnal Reserve. But it comes from underground" he added.

"So that means Sora is there?" Hayner asked them.

"No. Remember, we're only able to detect the Key Bearers because of the Keyblade they wield" Tifa joined in on the observation.

"Sora is in jail….." Pence spoke out of concern for him.

"Don't worry. We are already hatching a plan to free your buddy. But Forge Fortress is quite impregnable. And then there's this damn forcefield. We gotta find a way inside" Cid remarked while looking at the map.

Cloud couldn't help but to smile. "That's already taken care of. We have a mole in the place called the Burrow" the swordsman said before looking at the Key Bearers. "Rest assured, he will make sure Sora is taken care of" Cloud reassured them.

"Hold your horses! There's also someone you gotta free as well!" Cale jumped in. "Akima. Don't forget about here!" the blonde-haired man called out.

Korso chuckled while patting his right shoulder. "Akima's a survivor, Cale. She will manage fine. Besides, she's got Tek looking after her" he assured him.

"You heard him" Stith chimed in, much to the annoyance of Cale.

"Just so you know, I'm not in love with her or anything like that" the young man told them.

Preed found himself snicker at his claim. "Is that so? Well, I beg to differ" he started teasing him.

"Shut up, Preed" Cale muttered.

Terra was surprised by what Cale had said. "So, you're saying that a friend of yours is held behind bars in that fortress? Well, I guess we'll free her along with Sora" he told him.

"Not just his woman!" Dexter snapped, the teenage boy looking at Cale. "Kimberly's there as well! I joined this movement for the exact reason of freeing her!" he pointed out.

"As did I? I wanna free my most cherished love: Daphne" Dirk declared while going as far as to hold his sword up.

"I also wanna mention Dimitri! He was arrested during that protest against the Clover Council" Anastasia mentioned the name of a man who was dear to her.

Hearing all this talk made Cid very irritated. "Will all of you shut up!? I'm trying to concentrate here!" the blonde-haired man snapped. He succeeded in doing so. "Thank you! Finally, some peace and quiet while I'm searching!" he said.

Yet Anastasia was not pleased. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm only concerned for my friend who's been locked in the most unforgiving place in these realms!" she snapped at him.

Cale had to chuckle at her statement. "Forge Fortress is the most unforgiving place in the Forgotten Realms? You're so wrong, Anya" he mocked her assertion.

Anastasia responded by sticking out her tongue at him before looking away with a huff. "You don't know me, Cale. You don't know anything about me" she told him.

Vladimir adjusted his glasses while approaching the young woman. "Have no fear, Your Highness. For all his carelessness, Dimitri knows how to last. And don't forget, this isn't his first time in imprisonment" the stout man told her before looking over at the Leon and the others. "I assume that this mole on the inside has been notified about the Key Bearers as well?" he asked Leon and the others.

"Without question" Tifa assured him.

Everyone soon refocused their attention on the giant screen. Cid was now being assisted by Gune, who seemed to have much expertise of science like him.

"Look! The radar indicate that the other Key Bearer here in Nocturnal Reserve…..is somewhere below us in the Claymore Catacombs" the eccentric alien revealed.

This brought nothing but gasps to some of the people in the hall.

"The Claymore Catacombs?" Aerith asked.

"This is bad!" Yuffie said.

But the Key Bearers didn't seem to grasp what it was that made them so concerned about this place.

"What's so scary about these Claymore Catacombs?" Hayner asked everyone.

"Believe me, boy. You wouldn't wanna know" Preed told him.

"Personally, I think it would be best if we told all Key Bearers about that place" Korso insisted. Leon and the others looked at him. "Look, you folks want these guys to help us, right? If they're gonna do that, then we might as well share every detail with them" he added.

"He's right. After all, the Claymore Catacombs is the place where….." Cloud was about to tell them, only for Gune to interrupt them with new announcements.

"Splendid news! I've researched the nearby areas around the city! And there are more signals" he revealed while tapping on his own keyboard near the giant screen. "One signal stem from the Thorny Maze. Two of them from the Forbidden Jungle. Another two from the Maw. And finally, two more in the Shivering Peaks" the eccentric alien revealed.

The Key Bearers were each amazed with what he revealed. At the same time, Leon and his friends seemed pleased to know of the situation, despite the fact that they were separated.

"Then it's really true. Nicodemus really managed to send all of them here in the Forgotten Realms" Aerith was feeling very hopeful.

Leon was also smiling. "He really deserves credit for what he's done. If not for him, the Rain Lily Resistance would've crumbled" the brown-haired swordsman remarked.

"But we must still take caution" Cloud spoke up, catching everyone's attention. "For all we know, the Key Bearers could stumble upon challenges in each of these regions. Don't forget: the Maw is the place where the Hellhound resides. And the Thorny Maze is where that twisted owl sorcerer lives…..as well as the location of the Alahenena" he pointed out.

"That may be true. But we have allies out in the farther reaches as well" Tifa revealed. "The Great Owl, the Snow Fox, those are only a few of the many entities that share our opposition to the Clover Council and the Drej Queen" the brunette revealed.

"Then we all know what must be done" Leon said as he faced the large screen before him. "There's no question at the rest of the Key Bearers will find their way to Nocturnal Reserve. Once they have done that, we will make our move to bring them into our fold. Then we can plan on how to free Sora and the others, as well as rid ourselves of the Clover Council" he explained to everyone.

"You know, me and Gune could do our best to identify which Key Bearer is who. But that would take some time" Cid insisted.

Yuffie responded by grinning at him in a teasing manner. "But you can handle the challenges, can you, Cid?" she asked him.

Puffing out some smoke, Cid sighed. "We'll do what we can. Are you listening to this, Gune?" he called out to the alien.

Gune saluted in return before starting tapping on his keyboard. "I'm already on it, sir!" he responded.

Leon looked at the giant screen. "Then the best course of action for now would be staying here in the Root. We will continue surveying the activities of the remaining Key Bearers" he told everyone.

* * *

_In between mountains, the Shivering Peaks, the Forgotten Realms_

Ventus and Aqua had arrived in this region with frosty mountains. At first, they had decided to find a way down to the city they spotted from their location. But fate had other plans for them. While being confronted by a yeti-like Heartless, they two Key Bearers failed to notice that there was a gigantic entity sleeping beneath the frosty environment.

A giant ice troll had been disturbed by their fight, and he had easily disposed of the Heartless with his sizable foot. However, he was not friendly towards Aqua and Ventus either. While holding each Key Bearer in his giant hands, Northwind, suspected that they were Heartless. Despite the two's insistence that they weren't, the ice troll refused to believe them.

In fact, he decided to take them to a certain entity that lived in these Shivering Peaks: the Snow Fox. Neither Ventus nor Aqua had any clue about who this Snow Fox. But from what Northwind had said, she was the wisest of all in the Shivering Peaks, if not in the entire Forgotten Realms.

With no understanding of where they would go, the two Key Bearers reluctantly agreed to his demand. As of now, they were now in a narrow path between walls of mountains. Looking up, they could see that the night had descended upon the world. The moon gave light to the snow, thus lighting the frosty environment.

"WE ARE ALMOST THERE" the deep, yet calm voice of Northwind could be heard. He was facing forward as he walked. "THE CAVE OF THE SNOW FOX LIES RIGHT BEFORE US" he told them.

Both Ven and Aqua looked forward to see a large hole at the end of the mountainous wall. It certainly was big enough for someone as huge as Northwind to enter. In the process, a thought crossed Ven's mind.

"So…...how big is this Snow Fox?" Ven asked the ice troll.

Northwind managed to look down at Ven. "SHE COMES IN ALL SIZES. HOWEVER, SHE PREFERS THE ONE WHERE SHE CAN CONVERSE WITH DEFILERS LIKE YOU" he replied with no generosity.

"I already told you, we're not….." Ven was interrupted by the voice of Aqua.

"Ven…" she hissed his name, not appreciating the tone he was giving Northwind.

Being reminded of the fact that they were at Northwind's mercy, Ven shut his mouth. Hopefully, this Snow Fox would be much smarter and open-minded than Northwind. But it was too early to conclude such.

As soon as they entered the cave, everything lightened up. At first, the two Key Bearers had expected it to be dark and rocky like any ordinary cave in a mountain would. To their surprises, that was not the case with this one.

Everything inside was made out of pristine ice, almost like crystal. The teal light from the icy walls lit everything inside. Needless to say, the place's interior was vastly different from it's exterior. Moving inside, Northwind eventually approached the end of the icy cave, which contained what appeared to be an elevator or something. From that same place, two rabbits dressed in winter coats appeared out of the place.

"Northwind? Where have you been?" one of the rabbits, who was a boy, asked while looking up at the ice troll.

Northwind smiled down at the tiny creatures. "AT EASE, TINY FRIENDS. I WAS ONLY NAPPING BENEATH THE SNOW UNTIL HEARTLESS DISTURBED MY REST. NOW, I AM AWAKE" he answered the rabbits kindly. It was a stark contrast from his attitude towards Ven and Aqua.

"Goodness, what have you found?" the other rabbit, who was a girl, asked while pointing his finger at the two Key Bearers.

Glaring at Ven and Aqua, Northwind eventually lowered himself, putting the Key Bearers before the two rabbits. "I FOUND THESE HEARTLESS NEAR ME WHILE I RESTED. THEY CLAIM TO BE WIELDERS OF A WEAPON CALLED THE KEYBLADE. BUT I DO NOT TRUST THEM" the ice troll answered.

This made the two rabbits stare at the Key Bearers with astonished looks. Ven and Aqua were confused.  
"Did you say…..Keyblade?" the boy rabbit asked while looking at the pair.

Knowing that this was perhaps their chance of proving their case, Aqua and Ven called upon their respective weapons. That was enough to even surprise Northwind.

"BY MY FROZEN BEARD…." Northwind was taken aback by what he witnessed.

Aqua looked at the pair of rabbits. "Yes. Me and my friend here are wielders of the Keyblade. And I assure you, we mean you no harm. We are not Heartless" the blue-haired woman informed them.

"We were brought to these Shivering Peaks for some reason. But we have no idea where we really are. So that's why all of this has been a big misunderstanding" Ven spoke up to support Aqua's claim.

Surprisingly, the two rabbits happily grabbed each of the Key Bearers by their hands and led them to the elevator.

"Then you have to come with us! The Snow Fox will be pleased to see you here!" the girl rabbit exclaimed.

"Oh….she will?" Ven asked her.

"Indeed" the young rabbit responded. "The Snow Fox had been told that warriors wielding blades with keys would arrive in the Forgotten Realms. The one delivering that message was the ancient rat Nicodemus" she added with an explanation.

"The Snow Fox resides on this mountain's summit. Follow us!" the boy rabbit told Aqua while leading her to the icy elevator.

The moment all four were standing on this circular platform of ice, it began moving up towards the summit. Ven and Aqua suggested that magic had something to do with its movements. Either way, it went relatively fast. Along the trip, the two friends wondered what kind of creature this Snow Fox really was.

When they reached the top of the summit, Ven and Aqua was exposed to a view so astonishing. It gave them a good look of the wintry and mountainous landscape below them. This was probably the highest mountain in the Shivering Peaks. But in addition to that, they saw something else.

On a throne made of ice sat a grey and white fox dressed in a glittering blue dress with some white fur. As she rose up from her throne, she walked towards the two visitors. Her tail resembled that of a chicken's, yet everything was fur instead of feathers. The moonlight helped shine her appearance. This woman was tall, standing over even Ven and Aqua. Still, she was smaller when compared to Northwind. There was no mistaking it. This was the enigmatic Snow Fox they had been told of.

"Your Highness…..these are the Key Bearers…..the ones Nicodemus told us about" the boy rabbit said while kneeling before her.

"Northwind found them battling some Heartless in the Shivering Peaks. He then proceeded to bring them both here" the girl rabbit added, also kneeling before the Snow Fox.

The Snow Fox smiled, turning her attention towards Ven and Aqua. They didn't know how to respond, yet they each bowed to her as a sign of respect. Surprisingly, the Snow Fox did so in return.

"I bid you welcome to my throne, Key Bearers. I was told of your arrival in the Forgotten Realms" she welcomed them, her voice so sweet and tenderly.

Ven, not knowing how to respond to this, felt the need to at least say something in return. "The honor is ours, Your Highness" he replied.

The Snow Fox giggled, amused by Ven's manners. "You are very charming. Few people in these realms have the same kindness these days" she remarked. Yet she was not finished speaking. "However, I was also told by Nicodemus that there would be more Key Bearers around here. Yet I only see the pair of you" she revealed.

"Your Highness. With all due respect, our comrades have most likely arrived in the Forgotten Realms as well, albeit in different locations" Aqua spoke up, her tone filled with that of respect.

"Indeed. Even as I stand here, I can sense the activity of evil throughout the other regions besides the Shivering Peaks. The Hellhound is already making his presence felt from the Maw, while the corrupted Grand Duke of Owls is practicing his twisted magics in the Thorny Maze. But the worst signs of activity happens below the city of Nocturnal Reserve and the far reaches of the Thorny Maze…..where the Drej Queen plots her move against the rest of us" the Snow Fox was somewhat summarizing all the threats she had sensed.

Both Ven and Aqua were shocked to hear all these threats.

"Oh no…..if Terra, Kairi and the others have arrived at these different locations….then that means they're in danger as well" Aqua remarked.

"But there must at least be some hope here, isn't it? Is everything in the Forgotten Realms filled with hopelessness?" Ven asked her.

The Snow Fox smiled in return. "Not at all, Key Bearer. Fortunatly, there are forces of good residing in these desperate lands as well. And not just the Rain Lily Resistance in Nocturnal Reserve. Throughout the realms, there are several beings I can recall that are valuable allies of mine against darkness. The Great Owl and the Nursery Magic Fairy are some of them" she spoke of some valuable allies of hers.

The enigmatic creature proceeded to show Ven and Aqua a wonderful view of what lied beyond these snowy mountains. Moving on, she explained everything that the two needed to know about the state of the Forgotten Realms. She also mentioned Sora and where he was.

"So, everyone is gathering among this Rain Lily Resistance in the Nocturnal Reserve?" Ven asked.

"Yes. They are gathering all of you to make preparations for standing against the Drej Queen and her machinations. That is why you should both go there" the Snow Fox told them.

Aqua smiled, thinking about Terra and Sora. "Then everyone's probably waiting for us. Terra…..and Sora. We'll find them both there. I can't imagine how Kairi must be feeling right now" the young woman concluded, being on the verge of tears.

She was surprised when she felt Ven put an arm on her shoulder. But Aqua tolerated it, always happy to have him by her side. Ven in turn knew that Aqua was a good friend. Despite knowing that her heart belonged to someone else, Ven would never forsake their friendship.

_To be continued….._


End file.
